SIM001 › Flying the VTOL › Flying with a radio

Trying the buttons of the radio

This tutorial uses the same radio as Taking off with the TX15. You lift off in QLOITER, and then you try the other modes in the air. Button 1 is QHOVER, and the plane drifts with the wind. Button 4 is CRUISE, and the plane flies forward on its wing. Button 6 is QRTL, and the plane flies home and lands softly. Flying a VTOL with self-levelling shows button 3, FBWA.

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.
Screenshot to come.
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.
Screenshot to come.
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 plane leaves your hand and climbs away. The height above home is at least 15 m.
Screenshot to come.
Press button 1 on the front of the radio. The plane stays in the air, and the wind can move it.
The QHOVER button lights up. The plane stays at one place in the air, and the speed in the PFD is near 0.
Screenshot to come.
Press button 4 on the front of the radio, with the throttle stick up. The wing motors tilt forward and the plane flies on its wing.
The speed in the PFD is above 11 m/s, and the plane flies forward. The CRUISE button lights up.
Screenshot to come.
Press button 6 on the front of the radio. The plane flies to home, and lands there.
The QRTL button lights up. The plane lands and stops on the ground. The plane touches the ground at less than 2 m/s, and the HUD of the sim does not say CRASHED.
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 try the flight modes on the six buttons, so that I know what each mode does before I fly a real flight.

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 plane is flying
  And the height above home is at least 15 m
When the pilot switches to QHOVER
Then the autopilot mode is QHOVER
  And the flight is hovering
When the pilot switches to cruise
Then the flight is cruising
  And the autopilot mode is CRUISE
When the pilot sends the plane home
Then the autopilot mode is QRTL
  And the plane is on the ground
  And the last landing is soft