SIM001 › Flying the VTOL › Flying with a radio

Taking off with the TX15

This tutorial starts with the station and ends with a landing. The station opens three windows: the console, the sensor feed and the sim. The plane is on the ground at the pilot box. You arm the plane with SE and pick QLOITER with button 2. Push the throttle stick up, and the plane climbs straight up. Put the stick in the middle, and the plane keeps its height. Pull the stick down, and the plane lands.

Before you begin

Install Rust and Docker Desktop. Then run cd domains/teleoperation/console && cargo run --release -- --station. The first time, it builds ArduPlane SITL, which takes approximately 15 minutes. After that, it starts in a few seconds. Three windows open: the console, the sensor feed and the sim. The console connects to the plane. The plane is on the ground and disarmed, in MANUAL, with home set and no plan. Wait until the ARM button shows ARM, not ARM: NOT READY.
The station flies the T1-S VTOL, the default plane, with its two tilt-rotors and its rear rotor. The console shows the Q modes (QHOVER, QLOITER, QLAND and QRTL) with the other modes. Wait until the ARM button shows ARM, not ARM: NOT READY.
Plug the TX15 in over USB, and choose USB Joystick (HID) when EdgeTX asks. Set the radio up once, as Setting up the TX15 shows: load the model with the six buttons on channel 8, calibrate the sticks in the sim with F2, and copy the channels of the switches from controls.cfg.example. Then put the throttle stick all the way down, SE out and press button 1.

Put the arm switch on: SE pressed in is on, and SE out is off (with a toggle fitted in place of the button, up is on and down is off).
The ARMED annunciator lights up.
Press the button for QLOITER on the front of the radio: button 1 is QHOVER, 2 is QLOITER, 3 is FBWA, 4 is CRUISE, 5 is AUTO and 6 is QRTL.
The QLOITER button lights up.
Move the throttle stick to the high position: all the way down is low, the middle is middle, and three quarters up is high.
The plane stays at one place in the air, and the speed in the PFD is near 0. The height above home is at least 5 m.
Move the throttle stick to the middle position: all the way down is low, the middle is middle, and three quarters up is high.
The plane stays at one place in the air, and the speed in the PFD is near 0.
Screenshot to come.
Move the throttle stick to the low position: all the way down is low, the middle is middle, and three quarters up is high.
The plane lands and stops on the ground.
Screenshot to come.

Learn more

How this is tested failed

This tutorial is also an acceptance test. Its report has every step, check and screenshot from the last run.

The user story: As a pilot with a radio, I want to arm the VTOL, pick a hover mode and lift off with the throttle stick, so that I can fly the plane the way I fly it in the field.

When the arm switch is on
Then the vehicle is armed
When the mode switch is QLOITER
Then the autopilot mode is QLOITER
When the throttle stick is high
Then the flight is hovering
  And the height above home is at least 5 m
When the throttle stick is middle
Then the flight is hovering
When the throttle stick is low
Then the plane is on the ground