ALBATROSS
Aerial Launch & Recovery System
Research Question
Does wind-aware speed/altitude scheduling achieve dE/km <= -10% at wind >= 5 m/s versus constant velocity?
Digital Model
Parametric Energy Model
v1.0.0
c10_albatross
Baseline energy (Wh), wind-aware energy (Wh), energy_savings_pct, wind speed, distance, constant power assumption
Constant power model; no P(v)/D(v) characterization; no propulsion efficiency map; dynamic soaring EXPLICITLY EXCLUDED
Parametric comparison only; no flight dynamics; no atmospheric model beyond wind speed input; -23.9% is a modelled artefact, not a measured saving
Inputs / Parameters
| Parameter | Value | Unit | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed | 5+ | m/s | DESIGNED |
| Distance | configured | km | DESIGNED |
| Baseline velocity | constant | m/s | ASSUMED |
MEASURED = 0 parameters across all 9 technologies. Physical calibration deferred.
Experiment
Loading experiment data...
What This Result Does Not Prove
This result does NOT demonstrate energy savings. The -23.9% value is NEGATIVE (wind-aware consumes MORE energy). This is a modelled artefact from a constant-power assumption. It does NOT prove: real energy efficiency, flight performance, or wind-aware scheduling viability. PARAMETRIC MODEL ≠ EXPERIMENTALLY VALIDATED SYSTEM.
Next Research Step
Refine wind-aware scheduler (investigate negative savings). Execute E-010 M1 baseline simulation. Run sim-arduplane-sitl ALBATROSS A/B.
Procure avionics. Complete E-011 prototype. Flight validation. Deferred.
Role
ALBATROSS is the wind-aware speed/altitude scheduling system to reduce energy per kilometer (E/km). It explicitly excludes dynamic soaring. Campaign C03.
Digital Results
C10 ALBATROSS parametric trajectory optimization executed. Baseline vs wind-aware comparison completed. Wind-aware scheduling showed higher energy consumption — scheduler needs refinement. Dynamic soaring explicitly excluded. Simulation-only.
Physical Results
No physical tests. No prop efficiency tests. No HITL. No flight.
Proven
C10 parametric trajectory optimization: baseline and wind-aware trajectories computed. Dynamic soaring explicitly excluded. Falsifiable dE/km hypothesis defined.
Not Yet Validated
dE/km <= -10% improvement (NOT MET — negative savings observed). JSBSim/SITL validation (NOT RUN). Flight validation (NO-GO). Scheduler needs refinement. All 12 failure modes uncharacterized. All results parametric/simulation-only.