The iSTAR Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is a unique 9-inch diameter ducted air
vehicle weighing approximately 4 lb. The configuration consists of a
ducted fan with control vanes at the duct exit plane. This VTOL aircraft
not only hovers, but it can also fly at high forward speed by pitching
over to a near horizontal attitude. The duct both increases propulsion
efficiency and produces lift in horizontal flight, similar to a
conventional planar wing. The vehicle is controlled using a rate based
control system with piezo-electric gyroscopes. The Flight Control
Computer (FCC) processes the pilot's commands and the rate data from the
gyroscopes to stabilize and control the vehicle. First flight of the
iSTAR MAV was successfully accomplished in October 2000. Flight at high
pitch angles and high speed took place in November 2000. This paper
describes the vehicle, control system, and ground and flight-test results.