Figure 6: Typical aircraft mission profile.
Mission Characteristics
The solar UAV mission is divided into the following stages:
1. Take off: Estimated duration of 10 second, without taking into account the rolling period.
2. Climb: Estimated duration of 2 minutes, to reach a cruise flying altitude of 100 m above runway.
3. Cruise: Target endurance of 2 hours to perform.
4. Descent: Approximate duration 20 minutes.
5. Landing: Final approach and touch down.
1. Take off energy
The total efficiency of the components for take off can be estimated as