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AAE 451 – Systems Requirements Review

March 1, 2007

Robert Aungst Brian Boyer

Chris Chown Nick Gohn

Matthew Gray Richard “Charley” Hancock

Adrian Mazzarella Matt Schmitt

Systems Requirements Review

March 1, 2007 Page 2 of 40

Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................... 5 Introduction.................................................................... 6 Business Case.................................................................. 7

Problem Definition ........................................................................7 Product Overview..........................................................................7 Current Market.............................................................................8 Competition.............................................................................. 11 Value Proposition ........................................................................ 13 Potential Market.......................................................................... 13 Costing ................................................................................... 14

Startup Costs .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Operating Costs ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Revenue.................................................................................................................................................. 16 Summary ............................................................................................................................................... 17

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Issues .......................................... 18 QFD Formulation........................................................................ 19

Design Requirements ....................................................... 21 Concept of Operations................................................................... 21 Database of UAVs ....................................................................... 23 Payload Analysis ......................................................................... 24 Initial Sizing .............................................................................. 27

Initial Sizing with a reciprocating propeller engine and turbofan ......................................................................... 30 Initial Sizing with an electric propeller engine ................................................................................................. 33 Initial Sizing Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 35

Conclusions .................................................................. 36 References.................................................................... 37 Appendix A – QFD Matrix ................................................. 38 Appendix B – FAA Waiver Form........................................... 39 Appendix C – UAV Database .............................................. 40



Tables

Table 1 – Potential Targets for Aerial Advertising ................................................................ 9 Table 2 – 2005 Top Ten Outdoor Advertising Brands ....................................................... 11 Table 3 - Estimated Startup Costs ...................................................................................... 15 Table 4 – Estimated Payroll Costs...................................................................................... 15 Table 5 – Estimated Operating Costs ................................................................................. 16 Table 6 – Revenue Summary .............................................................................................. 17 Table 7 – Business Summary .............................................................................................. 17 Table 8 – Design Requirements.......................................................................................... 21 Table 9 - LED Screen Sizing Specifications........................................................................ 26



Figures

Figure 1 – Four Major Products Categories for Outdoor Advertisement.............................. 8 Figure 2 – Aerial Advertising Retention Rates ...................................................................... 9 Figure 3 – Distribution of Advertising Media in Maine Lottery Case.................................. 10 Figure 4 – Cessna 182 ........................................................................................................ 12 Figure 5 - Stinson 108 ........................................................................................................ 12 Figure 6 - A170 Blimp ........................................................................................................ 12 Figure 7 – QFD Matrix ...................................................................................................... 20 Figure 8 – Mission Profile .................................................................................................. 22 Figure 9 - Human Field of Vision....................................................................................... 24 Figure 10 - Angular Diameter of 7.42 ft Sign...................................................................... 25 Figure 11 - Gross Takeoff Weight versus Empty Weight Fraction ..................................... 28 Figure 12 - Payload Weight versus Empty Weight Fraction ................................................ 29 Figure 13 - Initial Sizing Estimates from Team Written Code ............................................ 31 Figure 14 - Initial Sizing Estimate from Graph Method ..................................................... 32 Figure 15 - Electric Sizing Code with an energy density of 70 watt-hours per pound.......... 34



Executive Summary The task set out for this project is to design an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that is capable of providing continuous area coverage over a designated region. After thorough study, it was concluded that the national defense sector is a competitive industry, strewn with large, well-established companies that receive not only the government’s undivided attention, but more importantly, the bulk of their contracts. Being a small startup company, it would be naïve to think that beating the large, seasoned competitors at their own game is an easy or desirable task. Thus, rather than occupying the same space, and competing for the same resources, a different niche should be discovered. The decided mission is, therefore, to fill the need for consumer targeted dynamic aerial advertising. Currently, this service does not exist; fixed-wing competition is relegated to towing signs and the dynamic advertising competition is impeded by the cumbersome, clumsy airships on which they are exhibited. The solution is then to combine both the range and maneuverability of a fixed wing airframe with the display dynamicism previously reserved solely for airships. The ability to provide targeted marketing, combined with the full-motion video capability of the LED screens onboard the UAVs, forges an unbeatable advertising delivery system. The test-bed and initial base of operations will be a general aviation (GA) airport in central/southern Florida, likely the Sebring Regional Airport. Using a fleet of seven aircraft, the system is capable of providing continuous area coverage over three cities in South Florida for more than eighteen hours a day. The UAS product will, therefore, tap into the nearly $200B spent each year on advertising in the U.S. alone. With competitive pricing at just $1500 per hour of advertising, the proposed business will generate revenue over $22M per year, breaking even in just 5 years. This UAS solution will revolutionize and revitalize the concept of aerial marketing, and bring about tomorrow’s advertising today.



Introduction Objective To provide a revolutionary alternative to current aerial advertising that will facilitate the revitalization of marketing via aircraft. Approach By designing a system of unmanned aerial vehicles, continuous area coverage is made possible by eliminating the need for a human pilot to fly for extended hours. Driving Influence Stiff competition within the national defense sector of the aerospace industry clearly shows that brighter opportunities lie elsewhere. Also, rather than reinventing the wheel and developing another reconnaissance UAV, an out-of-the-box idea could reap significant rewards. After further investigation, there seems to be an unsatisfied demand: revolutionary outdoor advertising that can reach the masses. The solution is a UAS capable of mass, targeted advertising within densely populated areas. Since outdoor advertising is currently the second fastest growing form of advertising (behind the internet), it poses a high potential for success. When compared to current forms of outdoor aerial advertising, few are eye-catching or dynamic, and many do not have high viewer retention rates. The UAVs will be equipped with two large, high-intensity LED screens, each capable of supporting full-motion video while being visible during both day and night. With U.S. companies spending nearly $200B annually, of which nearly $7B is in outdoor advertising, there poses a high probability of success for the proposed UAS. The initial business plan stipulates servicing 3 cities in Central/South Florida, with Sebring Regional Airport serving as the probable home base. Using a fleet of seven aircraft, all three cities will receive continuous area coverage for at least eighteen hours per day. This plan designates an initial start-up cost of approximately $83M, with annual operating costs around $6.2M. By charging the customers a competitive rate of $1500 per hour of advertising, annual revenues of $22.3M can be realized, with a break-even time of five years.



Business Case

Problem Definition The opportunity description for this project states that a fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) is to be investigated and developed to provide the capability to execute some constant area coverage mission that is to be defined by the design team. The first step in this project requires the study of all potential customers for the continuous coverage application provided by a potential UAS. Based on the findings of these studies, a business case is to be constructed, along with a concept of operations (CONOPS), and a set of system or design requirements that are defined in conjunction with the customer(s) via the use of quality function deployment (QFD). These deliverables will fully describe the intended purpose and the intended customer(s), as well as define the mission profile and preliminary aspects of the engineering design. Secondly, various trade studies will be conducted in order to estimate the position of the UAS with respect to numerous design values (e.g. maximum take-off weight). Following this, concepts will be generated, and the “best” one will be selected for initial sizing of the UAS. The final action is to complete a conceptual design of the selected aircraft concept(s), ensuring that all specified design requirements are met.

Product Overview The UAS mission entails the constant area coverage of populated areas for the purpose of aerial advertising. The medium employed to accomplish the advertising involves utilizing light-emitting diode (LED) screen(s) that will display numerous dynamic advertisements specified by the customer(s). This medium of advertising will provide the following key advantages over current advertising concepts:

Significantly greater advertising time and therefore greater exposure time. Dynamic advertising medium, allowing for multiple adverts and thus multiple

customers. Full motion displays that allow a number of different types of adverts (e.g. graphics,

video, and text). The business will provide a complete service to the customer, including the design, build, test, and operation of the UAS. The business will cover all aspects of operation of the UAS.



Current Market Upon receipt of the mission overview, initial steps involved the examination of many different types of markets through which a UAS could potentially be profitable. Since the primary objective of any corporation is to make a profit, most traditional military and government markets were eliminated because they were at the point of saturation with current UAS systems. Advertising, however, is an entirely different situation; relatively few high tech aerial advertising systems currently exist, and no UAV systems are utilized. In 2005, an estimated $183 billion was spent on advertising (all forms) in the United States. The outdoor advertising segment generated $6.3 billion of this $183 billion. From Figure 1 below, it is easy to see that of the four product categories of outdoor advertisement, aerial mediums are a subset of the 17% Alternative Outdoor segment.1

Figure 1 – Four Major Products Categories for Outdoor Advertisement

The OAAA has also tagged outdoor advertising as the “fastest growing medium after the internet.” Thus, there is decidedly momentous growth potential. Initially, examination of some of the current aerial advertising markets and their target potentials is vital to predicting the UAS’s role within the industry. The main objective of advertising is to expose a shrewd message to a large number of people within the shortest time possible. The law of averages states that when more people see the message, more people that will be inclined to desire the product or service that is advertised, which in turn leads to a greater Return on Investment (ROI). At the very least, more people will become aware of the product’s existence and many will investigate further. Knowing this information, it is unlikely to find a banner towing aircraft flying over the middle of a forest, large body of water, or other predominantly uninhabited area. Banner towing aircraft fly over locations and events with a range of 15,000 up to 1,500,000 potential targets (people). These include, but are not limited to, the items shown below in Table 1.



NASCAR Events: (130,000-200,000 people) Major League Baseball Games: (20,000-70,000 people) Professional and College Football Games: (50,000-150,000 people) Professional Soccer Games: (20,000-100,000 people) Concerts: (20,000-100,000 people) Beaches: (15,000-150,000 people)

Table 1 – Potential Targets for Aerial Advertising

Unlike a billboard, which most people only catch for a brief moment, an aerial banner has an average exposure time of over 17 seconds per viewer, nearly ten seconds greater than the exposure time of a billboard.2 Numerous studies have been conducted to show the success of the retention rate of aerial advertisement. One such study was conducted on Miami Beach in 2005. Of 750 people surveyed by Little Studio Design and Research3, 88% recalled the passing of the banner within the previous 30 minutes; 79% of the people surveyed recalled what was advertised; 67% could recall at least one-half of the message. Figure 2 illustrates these results.

Figure 2 – Aerial Advertising Retention Rates

When the state of Maine launched their lottery, various advertising mediums shared the advertising budget. The lottery commission conducted a survey on the coastal beaches of Yarmouth, Maine similar to the one referenced above. Of the different advertising methods, aerial banners received only six percent of the budget. Figure 3 below summarizes the findings. Aerial banners captured 18.3 percent of the target with only six percent of the budgetary costs!4 Aerial advertising has the capability of reaching people away from home and work, in an environment where they are typically relaxed. The results of the two studies presented prove that a message displayed by means of aerial advertisement is one which people both subliminally and actively remember.



Distribution of Advertising Media in Maine Lottery Case

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Figure 3 – Distribution of Advertising Media in Maine Lottery Case

While it is possible for smaller local companies to use aerial advertising, a majority of the time people will see ads from one of the top twenty outdoor advertising brands, such as soft drink and fast food companies, insurance organizations, luxury item retailers, and automobile manufacturers. In most instances, any ad will be appropriate to fly over the target area; however, there are times when it would be better not to fly certain ads over a target. Currently, the aerial advert displayed is static in nature and cannot be substituted for an alternate advertisement that is more suitable for the particular area of flight. There are three main targeting options in outdoor advertising: geographic, demographic, and event driven. Geographic targeting occurs when an ad is flown over a general region or metropolitan area, such as South Florida or the Lake Michigan shores. Here, pilots have a wide area that is acceptable to cover, and they are free to roam where the crowds are located. Second, and the most unique type, is demographic targeting. Here, the disposable incomes of area residents are compared with the type of product or service being advertised. If an advertisement is going to be flown for BMW, a luxury car brand, it would not do much good to fly over a low income section of town. With demographic targeting, companies look at where there are high disposable incomes capable of providing solid returns on the investment of putting up the advertisement. The final targeting method is event driven targeting. Companies target sporting events, concerts, festivals, parades, and other such activities because they can anticipate a swell of people in a small area over set time periods. Additionally, the ad only needs to be flown over the event while people are preparing to enter the event, during the event, and immediately after the event. Event targeting is the most efficient way of capturing the attention exorbitant amounts of people in a somewhat restricted timeframe, which is why most companies choose this method. Some companies



will even provide specific contracts with the advertising firm, detailing different dates and locations across the United States where they wish to be advertised. Finally, Table 2 summarizes the top ten outdoor advertising brands from 2005. Note that overall advertising expenditures range anywhere from $2.2 billion for McDonalds to $1.6 billion overall for Coca-Cola.

1. McDonalds Restaurants 2. Cingular Wireless Service 3. Verizon Long Distance Business & Residential 4. General Motors Corp Auto & Truck 5. Anheuser-Busch Beers 6. Nextel Wireless Services 7. Warner Bros Movies 8. Coca-Cola Soft Drinks 9. Verizon Wireless Service 10. Miller Beers

Table 2 – 2005 Top Ten Outdoor Advertising Brands

Competition Because this new UAS will be the first of its kind to take on a role as an advertising medium, it is necessary to evaluate aircraft in the current aerial advertising market. The most common aircraft used for aerial advertisement is the Cessna 182, seen in Figure 4 below. The Cessna is a popular choice due to its low stall speed of 49 knots. With a loaded weight of roughly 3,110 pounds, the Cessna is a very efficient aircraft for this type of mission. Another aircraft type that must be considered is the Stinson 108, given in Figure 5. Like the Cessna, the Stinson is a high wing aircraft. This aids in the stability of the aircraft, a necessity when towing a banner. The Stinson has a loaded weight of 2,400 pounds and a stall speed of 65 knots. Given the higher stall speed, it is easy to see why the Cessna models are a more popular choice. Finally, the American Blimp Corporation A-170 blimp model, shown in Figure 6, is the closest competitor to the type of product offered by the new UAS. This blimp has a loaded weight of 4,650 pounds and cruises at 14 knots. The blimp is 178 feet in length, and the computerized display screen is 30 feet by 70 feet.5



Figure 4 – Cessna 182

Figure 5 - Stinson 108

Figure 6 - A170 Blimp



Value Proposition Unlike the traditional banner-towing aerial advertisement method, this revolutionary new UAS will provide an exciting new advertisement product. The display screens will be capable of full motion advertising, with dynamic text and graphics. This will help to stimulate a captive audience since people will not be able to receive the entire message in just one look. Also, the screens will display only one advertisement at a time, eliminating the clutter and frustration of billboard, television, and newspaper ads. Because these ads will be more aesthetic to viewers, greater length of exposure is anticipated, which serves to increase the ROI for potential clients. The LED display screens are also capable of adjusting brightness during different times of the day, meaning flights will occur both when the sun is up, and after it has set, without compromising the visibility of the advertising images. In comparison with the A-170 blimp model, the new UAS will not have as large a screen, but it will be brighter and thus more easily visible during daytime hours. The logistics of such a large payload on an aircraft flying 1,000 feet above the ground would be difficult to arrange. However, the UAS delivers a service the blimp cannot: wide area coverage. With the ability to follow a known flight path, the UAS can fly along crowded beaches, interstate highways, and around event sites.

Potential Market After significant research was conducted over possible locations with high profit potential, a decision was made to place the preliminary home base in central Florida. Three general aviation airports were considered: Sebring Regional, Lakeland Linder Regional, and Naples Municipal. These airports are centrally located and provide convenient access to beaches on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in addition to the metropolitan areas of Tampa, Orlando, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. Thus, there is a wide range of potential coverage area from one of these regional airports. After recovering startup costs, expansion will be considered. Current models show a breakeven period of five years. Therefore, a five year outlook calls for new bases to be opened in areas with the greatest economic potential, meaning areas that have high exposure rates per time. These areas must be capable of reaching multiple target segments, much like the Florida market. By having a high exposure rate over wide coverage areas, the return on investment (ROI) will be highest. The leading area for domestic expansion is Southern California. Like Florida, Southern California’s warm temperatures allow year-round advertising to occur, and the high population densities between Los Angeles and San Diego are ideal for this type of targeted advertising. Other areas considered for expansion include the Jersey shore and Long Island, Lake Michigan beaches and the Chicago area, and Las Vegas. International expansion in Mediterranean Europe, Coastal Australia, or Mexico and the Caribbean is also possible in the long run.



Costing For any business venture, it is essential to investigate the potential profitability. Because the study of this UAS is very early in the design process, it will be very rough but still highly useful. A list of all potential costs was first assembled and subsequently divided into startup and operating costs. The costs for each phase are very similar, but each has a distinct scope. An income plan was also assembled, so an approximate break-even point could be established.

Startup Costs

The estimated startup costs for the UAS are:

Components for UAVs Tooling for construction Office equipment Payroll for employees Hangar space Advertising

The components for UAV construction are the most expensive single item to consider, but they are also the most uncertain. While accomplishing preliminary sizing, important details such as engine and material selection, which are certainly cost drivers, have yet to be decided. After much debate, the cost of each conceptual UAV has been estimated at $10,000,000. This places it at nearly half the cost of a Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. This number is partially based on the fact that the UAV will be approximately the same size, but it will not need turbine engines or other advanced technologies applicable to military UASs. Estimates for tooling are roughly $10,000,000. This is the money that will be used to purchase equipment needed to construct each aircraft. Since the proposed company will primarily be a systems integrator, advanced manufacturing is not anticipated, and the tooling costs should be able to be kept relatively low. The payroll for construction workers, management, and sales people during the startup phase is estimated to total $1,152,000. This assumes 20 workers total, working at $30.00 per hr, full time for 12 months. The hangar costs for the construction phase were estimated at $2,800 per month, for a total of $33,600 per year. This is the cost to rent a hangar at Sebring Regional Airport, the top consideration for the home base.6 Estimates for advertising needs total $180,000 per month. This is a very coarse estimate, but it was intended to be large for a business of this size. With such an aggressive income plan (to be discussed later), it is very important to generate as much business as possible. The success of the company, as with any business, is dependent on keeping advertising capacity filled.



The summary of the initial startup costs is shown in Table 3 below.

Development Costs Number Cost TotalComponents 7 $10,000,000.00 $70,000,000.00

Tooling 1 $10,000,000.00 $10,000,000.00Office Equipment 1 $50,000.00 $50,000.00

Item Number $ / hr Employee / Month Months Employee / Year TotalPayroll 20 $30.00 $4,800.00 12 $57,600.00 $1,152,000.00

Item Number Months Per Month Cost TotalHangar Costs while building 1 12 $2,818.00 $33,816.00 $33,816.00

Advertising 1 12 $15,000.00 $2,160,000.00 $2,160,000.00

Total $83,395,816.00 Table 3 - Estimated Startup Costs

Operating Costs

The operating costs for the UAS are:

• Fuel • Payroll • Advertising • Maintenance • Hangar

For operating costs, fuel is clearly the driving cost. The sizing studies that were performed on the current design showed that for the desired loiter and cruise, a total of 1500 lbs would be needed per mission. Using the cost of gas at Sebring Regional ($3.43 / gal)7, the total fuel cost for each proposed mission is $950.00. The total estimated costs for payroll are summarized below in Table 4. There are 21 total employees, and each salary is believed to be competitive for the type of position filled. For business driven on innovation, it is important to pay employees a competitive salary.

Position Number $ / hr Total / Employee TotalOperators 12 35 $70,000.00 $840,000.00

Maintenance 3 15 $30,000.00 $90,000.00Secretary 1 15 $30,000.00 $30,000.00Sales / PR 3 30 $60,000.00 $180,000.00

Management 1 50 $100,000.00 $100,000.00Janitor 1 10 $20,000.00 $20,000.00

Total $1,260,000.00 Table 4 – Estimated Payroll Costs



The advertising cost estimate is intended to be a large value. To keep the advertising space saturated, it is important to advertise to potential clients in highly effective and frequent ways. The maintenance costs are an unknown factor. Initial sizing of the UAV has only just been completed, and as such, it is very difficult to quantify maintenance costs. Maintainability is certainly an important design requirement. The number given is therefore only an estimate. The hangar costs to store the UAVs as well as house the central office for the business are the same as during the construction period. They will both be housed in a hangar at the airport. The costing assumes the airport is Sebring Regional. The full breakdown of the costs is given below in Table 5.

Table 5 – Estimated Operating Costs

Revenue

The analysis of potential income is very straightforward. The only variable is the gross income per flight hour. Using the concept of operations, there will be three cities covered by advertising for a total of 16 hours per day per city, or 48 total advertising hours per day. The target revenue per hour is $1,500. This results in total revenue of $72,000 per day, or $22,300,000 per year, assuming an 85% utilization rate. This estimated utilization rate will increase or decrease based on demand, maintenance, weather, and other factors. Typical aerial banner towing companies charge between $400 and $1000 per hour8, with the banner itself costing nearly $6000.9 The higher hourly rate of the LED screen advertising is justified because it is more visible, dynamic, and effective than typical aerial advertising solutions. The preferred business model is to enter into advertising contracts with numerous customers and advertise on a rotation, rather than advertise for a single company for a certain number of hours. This model should allow for an expansion of the current market, as well generate a renewed interest in aerial advertising. The estimated revenue per hour is then based on signing contracts with a target number of customers.

Item Fuel / Mission [lb] Fuel Cost [$/gal] Cost / Mission Missions / Day Per Month TotalFuel 1500 3.43 $854.65 9 $233,960.76 $2,807,529.07

Item Number $ / hr Employee / Month Months Employee / Year TotalPayroll $1,260,000.00

Item Number Months $ / Month Item / Year TotalAdvertising 1 12 $60,000.00 $720,000.00 $720,000.00Maintenece 1 12 $120,000.00 $1,440,000.00 $1,440,000.00

Hangar Costs 1 12 $2,818.00 $33,816.00 $33,816.00

Total $6,261,345.07



The full analysis of the revenue is given below in Table 6. # Cities Hr. / Day $ / Hr. Revenue / Day Revenue / Month Revenue / Year

3 16 $1,500 $72,000.00 $1,861,500.00 $22,338,000.00

Total $22,338,000.00 Table 6 – Revenue Summary

Summary

Using the above analysis, the business will break even in roughly five years. Keeping the breakeven time low is very important, as the current business plan has very large startup costs, and it will be a challenge to attract investors. The complete summary is given below in Table 7.

Startup Costs $83,395,816.00Operating Costs / Year $6,261,345.07Revenue / Year $22,338,000.00

Income / Year $16,076,654.93Years to Break Even 5

Table 7 – Business Summary



Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Issues The nature of the chosen mission of a UAS to carry-out continuous-area coverage aerial advertising is such that conflicts with airspace and other air vehicles are inevitable. In view of this, the FAA has setup the Unmanned Aircraft Program Office (UAPO) and the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) group. The following statements describe the roles of the respective groups:

“Our Mission: To safely integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the U.S. National Airspace System” 10

“[Unmanned Aircraft System Group] Is the principal element within the Air Traffic Airspace Management

Program responsible for authorizing unmanned aircraft operations in the National Airspace System. As such, this group works in close coordination with Aviation Safety's Unmanned Aircraft Program Office to

review proposed applications and ensure that approvals to fly unmanned aircraft, regardless of size, will result in not compromising the high level of safety for other aviation and the public and property on the ground.” 11

The operation of UASs in the National Airspace System (NAS) requires compliance with the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The regulations and policies concerning UASs can be found at the FAA website.12 This information includes a “Federal Register Notice” describing the integration of UASs into the National Airspace System. A very important part of obtaining an operating certificate from the FAA is to demonstrate the ability to “see and avoid”:

“a. Pilot. When meteorological conditions permit, regardless of the type of flight plan or whether or not under control of a radar facility, the pilot is responsible to see and avoid other traffic, terrain, or obstacles.”13

Due to the fact that the UAS will not have an onboard pilot, see and avoid will have to be demonstrated by using a type of observation/camera system attached to the aircraft, by which the “pilot” is able to scan the airspace surrounding the UAS. The mission that the UAS conducts will require the issuance of a “certificate of waiver or authorization”, as well as the typical certificate of airworthiness and operating certificate from the FAA. Appendix B contains an example of the application form for such a certificate, and a checklist specifying the details dealt with by the certificate. This Certificate of Authorization (COA) includes the ability to apply for operation in all types of airspace, and this is a key point due to the type of mission profiles the UAS will use for advertising. It is inevitable that the UAS will require access to high-use airspace in order to complete the required advertising over designated populate areas. The access into this airspace would be accomplished through gaining a COA to operate in the required airspace consistent with the area in which the UAS will be loitering. It should be noted that for the purposes of this project, it will be assumed that the UAS will receive all the necessary documentation in order to be able to operate as required by the FAA.



Customer Attributes

QFD Formulation The next step after evaluating the current market for a UAS and identifying the specific customer is to determine what is to be designed to meet the customers’ needs and the market’s desires. After determining the void in the market for unmanned aerial advertising systems, it was imperative to develop a method to analyze the customers’ needs and, more importantly, how to meet these needs through the proposed design. With this concept in place, a widely used organizational method utilized in industry today was employed. This method is known as the quality function deployment [QFD], which forms the basic management approach for the “house of quality”. By using QFD, the company will be able to quantify the needs of the customer and select target and threshold values throughout the design-build process. The first step in the formulation of the QFD is the determination of the customers’ desires. These desires will not only include the needs of the individuals who will be purchasing advertising but also the public and the company, which will act as a systems integrator. These desires will be referred to hereafter as the “whats.” Such things as flight endurance, maintainability, and advertisement visibility are just a few examples of “whats” that define this column. The descriptions above the large matrix of numbers can simply be described as the “hows.” These are the methods through which design of the UAV will occur to meet the “whats” and thus in turn allow for all the customers’ needs to be met. A sample of the QFD matrix is shown in Figure 7 below, while a larger version is given in Appendix A. Once the “house” was developed, each of the “whats” was ranked by importance with 1 being the highest. With this step completed, the matrix of qualities was fulfilled using a color-coded number base. The following weighting scheme was used: high importance (9-orange), medium importance (6-blue), some importance (3-yellow), minimal importance (1-green), and no importance (0-white). The method of completing this matrix is as follows; while only focusing on one row at a time, the “what” is weighted against all the “how” columns using the aforementioned scheme. For example, the first row of the “whats” is flight endurance. Thus, focusing in this topic, each “how” is considered. When the first “how” is loiter time, it was decided that there was a highly important correlation between these two factors so the interaction was given a 9-orange cell. This was completed for each “what” and each “how”.



Figure 7 – QFD Matrix

Upon completing the importance matrix, the relative significance of each “how” was calculated. These values are displayed in the lower section of the house. The most important focus points in the design are the size of the LED screen, loiter velocity, and takeoff weight. Finally, for each column of “hows,” a design target quantity was assigned, along with a limiting threshold value. These values became the design requirements for the UAV.

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Flight Endurance 4 9 9 9 9 9 9 6 3 9 0 6 3 9

Takeoff/Landing Distance 9 1 9 9 0 0 3 1 9 9 0 3 9 9

Low "Fuel" Consumption 3 9 9 9 9 9 9 6 9 9 1 6 1 9

Autonomous Flight 1 0 0 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 0

Climb Performance 10 1 9 9 0 0 3 1 9 6 1 9 3 9

Ground Control 6 1 0 0 6 6 3 3 3 0 9 3 3 0

Display Dynamicism 5 0 0 9 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Easy to adjust text for different altitudes 12 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 1

Ability to adjust loiter speed to read text 16 6 0 3 0 9 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

"Stability" 7 1 0 3 6 6 0 1 1 6 3 3 6 9

Noise 8 1 1 1 3 6 9 0 6 0 0 3 9 6

Visibility of messages in all conditions 2 0 0 9 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Low Pollution 13 6 3 1 9 9 9 3 6 1 1 3 3 6

Maintainability 11 3 0 6 0 0 3 3 3 9 0 0 0 6

"WOW " effect 15 1 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Manufacturability 14 3 0 9 0 0 3 3 3 9 0 0 0 6

367 281 750 285 489 498 200 436 484 110 334 297 653

0.066 0.051 0.135 0.051 0.088 0.090 0.036 0.078 0.087 0.020 0.060 0.053 0.1178 12 1 11 4 3 13 6 5 14 9 10 2

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lity

Envi

ronm

ent



Design Requirements As mentioned in the previous section, from the QFD the design requirements can be extracted for each “how” based upon trade studies and individual research. The importance of these requirements is great in the design scheme of the project. These values set a foundation of parameters that will guide the conceptual design of the actual aircraft. However, it is imperative to note that these requirements are fluid guidelines for the aircraft during its initial design stages. In Table 8 below, the most significant target design requirements are introduced. These values are the most important in leading the design shape and performance of the actual aircraft. For example, the required size of the screen directly impacts the total size of the aircraft. Furthermore, such targets as the loiter velocity, endurance time, and specific fuel consumption all directly impact the size and weight of the aircraft as well. It is important to realize how all of these target design requirements, as well as others mentioned in the QFD, are closely related to one another.

Loiter Velocity 55 kts Cruise Velocity 135 kts Clean L/D 22 Specific Fuel Consumption 0.5 lb/hrCruise Range 400 nm Loiter Time 8 hr Screen Size 8’ x 45’

Table 8 – Design Requirements

Concept of Operations The UAVs and ground station will be based at an airport in the peninsula of Florida. Assuming a centrally located airport, the longest anticipated range from the airport to an intended target area is 175 nm. The current airports under consideration are Sebring Regional Airport, Naples Municipal Airport, and Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. These airports would provide central locations to numerous potential advertising locations (e.g. populated areas and beaches). Once constructed, the UAVs will not be disassembled, nor transported, due to both the sheer size of the aircraft, as well as the concept of the business. The UAV will be based in a populated area, and is not designed to service cities far away from the home base (>175 nm). For future expansion of the business, new home bases will be established in the vicinity of the new target markets, and new UAVs will be constructed. At the start of a typical mission, the aircraft will be fueled or charged in the hangar and the advertisements for the mission will be downloaded to the aircraft. The plane will be visually



inspected, and the LED screen will be tested for functionality. The UAV will then be taxied out to the runway from the hangar at which time the aircraft’s onboard systems will be checked. The aircraft will take off in 3000 ft or less. This allows it to take off from virtually any general aviation airport. Once the UAV has taken off, it will climb to cruise altitude and cruise at best range speed. Upon arriving at the designated display area, the UAV will descend to 1000 ft. AGL (minimum altitude to comply with FARs) and will slow down to best endurance speed which allows easy viewing from the ground (~60-70 kts). The display will then be activated and the aircraft will begin a predesignated flight plan. During the six hours of loitering flight, the display will rotate through the pre-programmed advertisements that were loaded preflight. The flight pattern for this loiter will be pre-programmed for the specific mission. Each mission’s loiter pattern may differ due to the target areas of the loaded advertisements. The flight patterns will require minimal oversight from the operator in mission control. To ensure constant coverage for a total of 18 hours, an hour before the first aircraft’s six hour loiter is completed; a second aircraft will be prepared and en route to the target area. After its six hours on station, the first aircraft will ascend to its cruise altitude and return to base. The ground operator, in conjunction with air traffic control, will ensure that the second aircraft is clear of the first aircraft in the loiter pattern, before the second aircraft begins its flight pattern in the target area. After the second aircraft enters its loiter pattern, the ground operator will take control of the first aircraft and fly it back to the origin airport, where it will land and be inspected and serviced for the next day's operations. This process will be repeated once more, having the first UAV being sent back out to replace the second UAV. The mission profile of a single UAV is illustrated in Figure 8 below.

Figure 8 – Mission Profile



Database of UAVs In every design project, whether it involves a commercial jet, a general aviation aircraft, or a UAV, the design begins with understanding the problem and an examination of current and historical aircraft data. The study of historical aircraft data allows the creation of an estimation equation for the empty weight fraction, an approximation for the size of the wing area, and an approximation for the wing loading and many other important performance characteristics that will be inexact until the final design is finished. Three UAV databases were constructed for the preliminary design of this UAS by researching current and developmental UAV programs. The first database created came from an online source. The database was created from data from milnet.com. The information from this source is mainly focused on military applications for UAVs, which is not the focus of the advertising UAV. However, it does provide information on the weight, wing span, endurance, and payload for these military UAVs, which still allows comparison to the intended UAV design. The second database created came from the Aviation Weekly Aerospace Source Book. This information source provided a broader base of different types of UAV systems, ranging from systems being utilized for the military to systems being used for research and still other systems currently in development. Again, this database, which is much larger than the one from milnet, has a broader scope but still provides ample data such as weight, endurance, and payload. The third database was created from various data sources. The primary data source was Shephard Group UVOnline, however some additional resources had to be used to complete the database. The primary purpose for the creation of this database was to form a regression fit for the empty weight fraction; this topic will be discussed later. Unlike, the previous databases which contain information on wing dimensions, payload characteristics, and aircraft missions, this database was created solely to create a regression fit for the empty weight; therefore the database only contains information on the gross takeoff weight, empty weight, payload weight, endurance, and maximum velocity.



Payload Analysis In advertising, as in all visual perception, the relative size an object appears depends both on the actual size of that object and the distance from which it is viewed. The common standard in defining relative size is to use angular diameter, that is, the angle which a given object occupies from the observer’s point of view. Of the 360º in a full circle, the human eye can see approximately 170º in the vertical plane and 200º in the horizontal plane; however, only the inner 2º in each plane is in focus at any given time. Approximately 50% of the visual receptors in the eye are located within this 2º focal range, known as the fovea centralis.14 Figure 9 below illustrates the field of vision.

Figure 9 - Human Field of Vision

When studying the effectiveness of advertising using an aerial object, such as an LED sign, the height of that object is the primary factor of interest because it determines character size. The width of the object then determines how many characters can fit onto the display at one time. The standard used in the LED sign industry is that text must be one inch in height for every forty feet of desired viewing distance. This allows someone with 20/20 vision (defined as average vision, not perfect vision) to read the text clearly. Most sign advertising uses text roughly twice the required size for optimum visibility. The one inch per forty feet requirement translates to an angular diameter of 0.12º using equation 1a.

)21arcsin(2

Dd

=δ (1a)

Where d = object diameter, D = viewing distance The target angular diameter for this project will be 0.25º, maintaining the practice of doubling the minimum text size requirement. If achievable, the advertising screen will be



larger than this, possibly as great as 0.5º in angular diameter. This design requirement affects screen size, payload weight, and flying altitude. Several LED screen manufacturers were researched. The candidate chosen exhibits many positive traits compared to other models, such as low cost, low power consumption, high brightness, scalability, and weather resistance. The Alpha Eclipse Excite 35 LED system15 manufactured by Adaptive Micro Systems was chosen as the primary display technology. The initial screen size was chosen to be roughly 8’ X 45’ after receiving input from resources in the aerial advertising industry. It was suggested that this size would be highly visible from normal flight altitudes and would provide adequate space for the required number of characters in most advertisements. The size can easily be lowered if needed due to the screen’s ability to scroll text. This represents one of the greatest advantages of this system over traditional aerial banners. Figure 10 below shows the non-linear relationship between angular diameter and altitude AGL. As indicated, flying at or below 1000 ft AGL results in an angular diameter of greater than 0.5º, which is the ideal minimum value.

Figure 10 - Angular Diameter of 7.42 ft Sign

The aforementioned Alpha Eclipse Excite 35 LED system consists of 10” by 22” modules of LED arrays which can be configured as required. The display system was designed primarily for outdoor advertising, thus weather resistance and daytime visibility were considered extremely important and the finished product reflects such considerations. The screen is capable of displaying 24-bit full motion video including up to 16.7 million colors with a 60 frame per second refresh rate. The display is driven by an integrated computer which is compatible with existing digital advertising media and can potentially be controlled and updated from the ground while the aircraft is in flight. The screen has a 140º horizontal viewing angle and a 60º vertical viewing angle. The brightness is rated at 6500 cd/m2 which is adequate for daytime visibility. The LED display has a planar density of roughly 3 lbs/ft2 and a cost of roughly $550/ft2. Using the initial screen size of 7.42’ by 45’, the weight will be about 1000 lbs and the cost will be about $180k per screen. Table 9 summarizes several of the screen sizes considered.



Height Height Width Width WeightAmps Total Power Power Price Area

in ft in ft lbs @110V

AC kw hp $1,000 ft^2

22 1.83 133 11.08 204 11.1 1.22 1.64 11 20.3222 1.83 155 12.92 238 13 1.43 1.92 13 23.6833 2.75 133 11.08 306 16.7 1.84 2.46 17 30.4833 2.75 155 12.92 357 19.4 2.13 2.86 20 35.5244 3.67 133 11.08 408 22.2 2.44 3.27 22 40.6444 3.67 155 12.92 476 25.9 2.85 3.82 26 47.3656 4.67 133 11.08 510 27.8 3.06 4.10 28 51.7256 4.67 155 12.92 595 32.4 3.56 4.78 33 60.2867 5.58 133 11.08 612 33.3 3.66 4.91 35 61.8867 5.58 155 12.92 714 38.9 4.28 5.73 40 72.1267 5.58 177 14.75 816 44.4 4.88 6.54 45 82.3589 7.42 133 11.08 816 44.5 4.90 6.56 45 82.2189 7.42 155 12.92 952 51.9 5.71 7.65 53 95.8789 7.42 177 14.75 1080 59.2 6.51 8.73 60 109.4089 7.42 360 30.00 661 117.2 12.89 17.28 120 222.5089 7.42 540 45.00 1002 177.6 19.54 26.18 180 333.90

Table 9 - LED Screen Sizing Specifications

Several initial designs have been proposed, but the most feasible options involve mounting two screens along the bottom of the fuselage, with each having a 30º angle relative to horizontal. This doubles the payload to approximately 2000 lbs, but maximizes viewing area. If the payload weight needs to be lowered during the design process, the screens can be shortened and scrolling text can be utilized.



Initial Sizing The initial sizing of an aircraft is a very crude method in which one estimates the gross takeoff weight from the weight of the crew and payload, the fuel weight fraction and the empty weight fraction. The equation for the gross takeoff weight is given in equation 1b:

WO =Wcrew +Wpayload +Wfuel +Wcrew

WO =Wcrew +Wpayload

1−Wfuel

WO

−Wempty

WO

(1b)

For a UAV, the crew weight is set to 0 lbs. The payload weight is a given parameter for a given payload. For the advertising UAV and the initial sizing estimates, it was estimated the screen weight would be approximately 2000 lbs for both screens. One can calculate the fuel weight fraction from mission characteristics; this process and the necessary equations will be discussed later. The only unknown parameter is the empty weight fraction which can vary from .4 to .7 of the gross takeoff weight. Raymer’s textbook Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach gives simple power regressions relating the gross takeoff weight to the empty weight fraction for different categories of aircraft, for example homebuilt, composite, general aviation, single engine, and jet fighter. Raymer’s textbook does not have an empty weight fraction equation for UAV’s. The early sizing estimates were done using the homebuilt composite equation. To refine and improve the weight fraction estimate, an empty weight fraction regression equation was developed. To create the regression fit, important factors which contribute to the empty weight fraction were identified. This led to the creation of a power function relating the empty weight fraction to the gross takeoff weight, payload weight, endurance time and maximum airspeed. The general form of the regression fit is shown in equation 2:

Wempty

WO

= AWOc1Wpayload

c2 Ec3Vmaxc4 (2)

Using the data from the UAV database from the Shepard’s Group Online and the method of regression fit, values for the unknown variables in the above equation were found. The regression fit of the data from the database is shown in equation 3:

Wempty

WO

= 1.6612WO−0.0465Wpayload

0.0606 E−0.0543Vmax−0.1920 (3)

The regression fit seems to be a better measure of the empty weight fraction than the equations given in the Raymer textbook. To visualize the accuracy of the regression line, Figure 11 and Figure 12 are provided. Figure 11 is a plot of the empty weight fraction versus gross takeoff weight.



We/Wo= 0.8007Wo-0.0494

R2 = 0.2112

0.0000

0.1000

0.2000

0.3000

0.4000

0.5000

0.6000

0.7000

0.8000

0.9000

0.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 15,000.00 20,000.00 25,000.00 30,000.00Gross Takeoff Weight (lbs)

Database DataRegression Fit ModelPower (Database Data)

Figure 11 - Gross Takeoff Weight versus Empty Weight Fraction

The diamond data markers are the actual data collected from the UAV database, while the square markers are the regression fit data. The black line is a simple regression fit from the data that relates the takeoff weight to the empty weight fraction. The equation has good agreement with both the actual data and the trend line. Figure 12 is a plot of the empty weight fraction versus payload weight.



We/Wo = 0.7444Wpay-0.0522

R2 = 0.1984

0.0000

0.1000

0.2000

0.3000

0.4000

0.5000

0.6000

0.7000

0.8000

0.9000

0.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 3,000.00 4,000.00 5,000.00 6,000.00 7,000.00 8,000.00

Payload Weight

Empt

y W

eigh

t Fra

ctio

n

Database Data

Regression Fit Model

Power (Database Data)

Figure 12 - Payload Weight versus Empty Weight Fraction

Again, the diamond data markers are the actual data collected from the UAV database, while the square markers are the regression fit data. The black line is a regression fit from the data that relates the payload weight to the empty weight fraction. The equation has good agreement with both the actual data and the trend line. After developing a decent model for calculating the empty weight fraction, initial sizing began. Several different methods were used to find an initial aircraft size. The first method used was purpose-written code that iterated equation 1 until the initial guess for the takeoff weight converged to the calculated takeoff weight. The second method was through a graph method presented in Raymer’s textbook on page 32. In the graph method, a number of initial takeoff weights that bound the possible solution are made. After making these guesses, one calculates through equation 1 the actual value for the takeoff weight. Instead of iterating until the solution converges one simply plots a 45° line on a graph with one axis as the takeoff weight guess and the other axis as the calculated takeoff weight. The intersection of the 45° line and the resulting line from the calculation of at least two estimated takeoff weights and the calculated takeoff weight is the initial takeoff weight for the UAV. These sizing methods were both applied to a UAV using a turbofan engine and a reciprocating propeller engine. The iterative code was only used on the reciprocating propeller engine due to the initial sizing results from the iterative code in which electric propulsion is shown to not be a feasible option. This will be discusses at a later point. As the project progresses and more definite design requirements are introduced, more sophisticated design tools will be used for aircraft sizing, such as FLOPS, ACS, or a more complex sizing code.



Initial Sizing with a reciprocating propeller engine and turbofan

To begin the sizing for either a reciprocating propeller engine or turbofan, one must calculate the needed fuel fraction for the mission. To calculate the fuel fraction, the entire aircraft flight was divided into sections and then the fuel fraction required for each section was determined. From those individual sections, the total fuel fraction for the entire mission including a factor for fuel reserve was determined. From the concept of operations, the mission consists of six different segments. These segments include warmup and takeoff, climb, cruise to loiter area, loiter, cruise back to airport, and land and taxi. The values for the warmup and takeoff, climb, and land were taken to be the historical mission segment weight fractions provided by Raymer. To find the fuel fractions for cruise and loiter, the Breguet Range and Loiter equations were used. The historical value for the warmup and takeoff weight fraction is .970; climb is .985; land and taxi is .995. The Breguet Range equation for a turbofan is given in equation 4 and the Breguet Range equation for a reciprocation propeller engine is given in equation 5:

Wf

W0

= 1.06(1−Wi

W0

) (4)

Wi

Wi−1

= e

−RCbhp

325ηpLD (5)

The term

Wi

Wi−1

is the weight fraction for that specific section of flight. R is the intended

range in nautical miles, C is the specific fuel consumption, V is the velocity in knots, and L/D is the lift-to-drag ratio. For the propeller engine the term Cbhp is the specific fuel consumption for propellers and ηp is the propeller efficiency. The Berguet Endurance equation for a turbofan is given in equation 6 and the Berguet Endurance equation for a reciprocation propeller is given in equation 7:

Wi

Wi−1

= e

−ECLD (6)

Wi

Wi−1

= e

−ECbhpV

325ηpLD (7)

E is the intended aircraft endurance in hours. The values for R, E, V, and L/D are design-to requirements which were estimated from the target values from the QFD matrix. The values for the specific fuel consumption and propeller efficiency were taken as historical estimates from Raymer. The specific fuel consumption for a turbofan was taken to be .8 in the cruise section and .7 during the loiter section. The specific fuel consumption for the reciprocation propeller was taken to be .4 during cruise and .5 during loiter, with a propeller



efficiency of .8. After calculating the weight fraction for each section the fractions were multiplied together and then used to calculate the fuel fraction as shown in equation 8 and 9:

Wi

W0

=W1

W0

W2

W1

W3

W2

...Wi

Wi−1

(8)

Wf

W0

= 1.06(1−Wi

W0

) (9)

After calculating the fuel fraction one can begin the process of sizing the aircraft. Figure 13 is a plot of the sizing estimate using the iterative coding method. Figure 14 is a plot of the sizing estimate using the graphical method from Raymer.

Figure 13 - Initial Sizing Estimates from Team Written Code



Figure 14 - Initial Sizing Estimate from Graph Method

Analyzing the results given from the team written code in Figure 12, the initial size of the UAV will be approximately 7,700 lbs for a reciprocating propeller engine. Furthermore from Figure 12, the initial size of the UAV will be approximately 19,000 lbs for a low bypass turbofan. Analyzing the results given from the graph method from Raymer in Figure 14, the initial size of the UAV will be approximately 8,000 lbs for a reciprocating propeller engine. Also from Figure 13, the initial size of the UAV will be approximately 40,000 lbs for a low bypass turbofan. Note that between the two different methods different values for the estimated takeoff weight are given. This is due to errors inherent in the code and the graph methods. However, the error in the calculation for the low bypass turbofan is extremely large almost 20,000 lbs. The main error is that the code did not account for different fuel consumptions in the cruise and loiter portions of the flight. A second error in both methods is that the convergence of the solution to an exact value would take a large amount of computing power, so estimates were used. These inaccuracies should not cause such a large error as seen in the turbofan weight estimate. The differences in results from the two methods for the reciprocating engines are minimal, however, and show that the estimates are valid for this type of propulsion.



Initial Sizing with an electric propeller engine

In addition to gas turbine and piston engines, a study was performed to investigate the feasibility of an electric powered aircraft. Using electric power would involve installing on-board batteries that would provide power to the video screens, all navigation and communications equipment, and a motor to turn the propeller(s). Since batteries have the same weight when charged or depleted, their use would simplify all weight considerations for the aircraft. The main considerations used to determine feasibility of electric power were the battery weight required for varying hours of loiter time and varying payload weights. In order to investigate this possibility, the simple initial sizing code for gas turbine and piston engine calculations was amended with an option to compute gross takeoff weight using required battery weight instead of required fuel weight. Computing required battery weight involved using equations 10 and 11 below to compute the required battery weight for cruise and loiter and then adding five percent for the remaining flight segments and another five percent for reserve power. In these equations, W is the weight of the aircraft in pounds, R is the distance from the takeoff base to the target loiter location in nautical miles, V is velocity in knots, E is endurance time in hours, γE is the battery power density in watt-hours per pound, ηp is the propeller efficiency, ηe is the electrical energy efficiency, and (L/D) is the lift-drag ratio of the aircraft. Equation 10 calculates the battery weight required for cruise, while Equation 11 calculates the battery weight required for loiter.

Wb( )cruise=

2.289WRγ Eηpηe L D( ) (10)

Wb( )loiter=

2.289WVEγ Eηpηe L D( ) (11)

The equations shown above involve values of battery density and electric efficiency, both of which had to be estimated before battery weight could be computed. Some research into modern batteries used to power electric vehicles turned up a table of capabilities of different types of batteries. The most promising battery types seemed to be Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries. These battery types feature high energy densities compared to other types, as well as long cycle lives. Lithium Ion batteries have already been used successfully in electric vehicles and Lithium Polymer batteries are currently being researched for use in electric vehicles. Energy density ranges of 40 to 70 watt-hours per pound were listed for these battery types, so the sizing code used the maximum of 70 watt-hours per pound to determine if the best batteries currently being used would work for the intended mission. For electric transmission efficiency, common values found ranged from 85% to 95%, so the sizing code started with the maximum value of 95%. The electric portion of the sizing code was run using the same propeller efficiency, weight, distance, velocity, loiter time, and lift-drag values as the gas power portion to ensure consistent comparison. The resulting gross takeoff weights were examined over a range of loiter times with the target payload weight and over a range of payload weights with the



target loiter time in order to examine the effect of modifying either payload weight or loiter time. These results are shown in Figure 15 with an energy density of 70 watt-hours per pound.

Figure 15 - Electric Sizing Code with an energy density of 70 watt-hours per pound

The results for an electric powered aircraft were discouraging, especially in the plot of gross takeoff weight versus loiter time. Gross takeoff weight values with electric power were all in the negative, suggesting either a problem with the code or a problem with the use of the batteries. When gas and electric power were compared at loiter times less than the maximum for electric power, the resulting gross weights for the electric-powered aircraft were over twice those of the gas-powered craft. After rerunning the code with energy densities of as high as 140 watt-hours per pound, the gross weight versus loiter hours plot showed that the gross weight approaches an asymptote at a loiter time of about 4 hours. With the less powerful battery, the battery power wasn’t enough to run the plane with the target payload weight. With the more powerful battery, loiter time would have to be cut down from the target in order to run the plane. These results made it clear that electric power is not a feasible option for the given mission. With gas power, especially with a piston engine, much lower aircraft weights are possible, and there is much more freedom in the amount of loiter time the plane can be designed for.



Initial Sizing Conclusions Several design requirements can be drawn from the initial sizing. The first and most important is the engine required to propel the UAV. Due to the sheer size and poor SFC values for a low bypass turbofan, this propulsion option will not be considered in the initial stages of the design. Also, from the electric propeller sizing with current technology it is infeasible to use an electric propulsion method. Sizing estimates will focus on a UAV powered by a propeller driven by a reciprocation engine. A second design requirement that needs to be further address is the weight of the payload. A simple reduction in the payload by half would result in a gross takeoff weight of a propeller driven UAV of 4,300 lbs. Research must be done regarding either a better or lighter screen for advertisement, possibly having only one screen on the aircraft, or reducing the size of each screen.



Conclusions In summary, the business plan proposes to redefine the standard of outdoor advertising as being both very exciting and a very effective means of ad delivery. Aerial advertising will be thrust from an event-oriented marketing medium to a ubiquitous display of the most exciting products and services. Each of the seven aircraft in the fleet will be equipped with two 8’ x 45’ high-intensity LED displays. With each display capable of an astonishing 60 frames per second, full motion videos will come to life providing a revolutionary advertising platform for customers. Using conservative estimates for cost and revenue, the business plan facilitates a break-even period of only 5 years. This compendious break-even time will entice venture capitalists, posing a high return on investment. After this initial 5-year period, operations can expand to other regions of the country and possibly to international locales, promoting an exciting business plan that places this advertising technology on the cutting edge of targeted marketing.



References 1 Outdoor Advertising Association of America (http:// www.oaaa.org) 2 Arnold Aerial Advertising (http://www.arnoldaerial.com/marketingfacts.htm) 3 Little Studio Design and Research 4 Aerial Banners Inc. (http://www.aerialbanners.com) 5 http://www.airliners.net 6 http://www.sebring-airport.com/Hangar.asp 7 http://www.sebring-airport.com/Fueling.html 8 http://www.airmedia.co.nz/advertising.htm 9 http://www.skywrite.com/aerialoutdooradvertising.html 10 http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/air/hq/engineering/uapo/ 11 http://www.faa.gov/ats/ata/uas_index.htm 12 http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/uas/reg/. 13 Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) 2007, Chapter 5-5-8. 14 http://health.howstuffworks.com/question126.htm 15 http://www.ams-i.com/Pages/excite.htm



Appendix A – QFD Matrix

Importance

Loiter Time

L/D

Size of LED Screen

Cruise Velocity

Loiter Velocity

Specific Fuel Consumption (Assuming Fuel)

Cruise Range

Thrust-to-Weight Ratio

Stiffness-To-Weight Ratio

Turn Radius

Rate of Climb

TakeOff Distance

Takeoff Weight

Flight Endurance

49

99

99

96

39

06

39

Takeoff/Landing Distance

91

99

00

31

99

03

99

Low "Fuel" C

onsumption

39

99

99

96

99

16

19

Autonom

ous Flight1

00

03

60

00

09

10

0

Clim

b Perform

ance10

19

90

03

19

61

93

9

Ground C

ontrol6

10

06

63

33

09

33

0

Display D

ynamicism

50

09

03

00

00

00

01

Easy to adjust text for different altitudes

120

03

00

00

00

06

01

Ability to adjust loiter speed to read text

166

03

09

60

00

00

03

"Stability"

71

03

66

01

16

33

69

Noise

81

11

36

90

60

03

96

Visibility of m

essages in all conditions2

00

90

90

00

00

00

0

Low P

ollution13

63

19

99

36

11

33

6

Maintainability

113

06

00

33

39

00

06

"WO

W" effect

151

09

00

00

00

00

01

Manufacturability

143

09

00

33

39

00

06

367281

750285

489498

200436

484110

334297

653

0.0660.051

0.1350.051

0.0880.090

0.0360.078

0.0870.020

0.0600.053

0.1178

121

114

313

65

149

102

8.022.0

360.0135.0

55.00.5

4000.5

100.02500.0

3000.07000.0

6.017.0

180.0120.0

65.00.8

3500.3

150.01500.0

5000.010000.0

hrs.sq. ft.

knotsknots

1/hrnm

ft.FP

Mft.

lbs.

Tar getsThresholds

Importance (A

bsolute)

Importance (R

elative)R

ank of Absolute Im

portance



Appendix B – FAA Waiver Form



Appendix C – UAV Database

UAV Name

Wo [lb] (Gross Takeoff

Weight)We [lb]

(Empty Weight)We/Wo

(Weight Fraction)

Wpay [lb] (Payload Weight)

Endurance [hr] Vmax [kts] Engine Type

SLURS 9.90 7.70 0.7778 2.20 1.00 53.96 electricJavelin 20.00 8.70 0.4350 3.20 2.00 56.48 pistonAerosonde 4 33.00 19.80 0.6000 11.00 24.00 32.38 pistonSea Scan I 33.88 24.42 0.7208 9.46 15.00 85.00 pistonHalf-Scale UAV Trainer 39.82 27.94 0.7017 9.90 1.00 69.52 pistonSea Scan II 45.54 26.84 0.5894 18.70 80.00 68.00 pistonTern (XVP-1) 130.00 77.00 0.5923 25.00 2.00 87.00 piston / 2-strokeSTM-5B Sentry 250.00 130.00 0.5200 70.00 8.00 95.00Shadow 200-T 280.06 183.04 0.6536 62.04 4.00 105.00 pistonTilt-Body 100-50 (Scorpion) 321.20 191.40 0.5959 49.94 3.50 150.00 pistonSentry HP 325.00 180.00 0.5538 75.00 8.00 100.00 pistonShadow 200 328.02 260.04 0.7928 60.06 6.00 123.00 rotaryShadow 400 446.60 323.40 0.7241 66.00 5.00 100.00 rotaryPioneer 452.00 301.00 0.6659 75.00 5.00 110.00 pistonShadow 600 583.00 454.96 0.7804 99.88 12.00 104.00 rotaryProwler II 748.00 448.80 0.6000 99.66 18.00 125.00 pistonVindicator 1,199.00 589.60 0.4917 198.00 20.00 150.00 pistonSkyeye R4E UAV 1,249.60 737.00 0.5898 268.40 12.00 110.00 pistonI-GNAT 1,546.60 897.60 0.5804 200.20 52.00 140.00 t-charged pistonHunter RQ-5A 1,620.00 999.00 0.6167 200.00 11.60 106.00 pistonHelios 1,650.00 1,322.00 0.8012 200.00 24.00 23.46 electricHunter MQ-5B 1,800.00 1,320.00 0.7333 200.00 18.00 106.00 piston (heavy fuel)Altus 2,145.00 870.00 0.4056 150.00 24.00 99.87 t-charged pistonPredator 2,350.00 1,197.46 0.5096 448.80 40.00 117.23 t-charged pistonSkyWatcher 2,900.00 1,900.00 0.6552 490.00 15.00 150.00SkyRaider 4,000.00 1,800.00 0.4500 665.00 25.00 175.00Predator B 6,500.00 2,800.00 0.4308 750.00 24.00 230.00 turbopropRQ-3 DarkStar 8,600.00 4,360.00 0.5070 1,000.00 12.00 299.48Proteus 12,500.00 5,900.00 0.4720 7,260.00 18.00 280.00 turbofanGlobal Hawk (Tier II Plus) 25,600.00 9,200.00 0.3594 2,000.00 42.00 343.00 turbofan

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