Nifty blog.
An update on what I'm doing: I am working a simulation of the aircraft in Matlab. I'm using a vortex-lattice method to simulate the aerodynamics. Once the aerodynamics have been accurately simulated, I'm going implement a controller. This will allow us to test the controller without crashing the plane. Kenton will hopefully help me write the controller, because I don't really know how to yet.
The vortex-lattice method does have some limitations. It assumes a linear Cl vs alpha curve, which means it does not model stall speed angle of attack effectively. However, our controller should never allow that to happen anyways. Also, it does not model the thickness of the wing or the boundary layer. These two mostly effect the drag anyways, so that limitation will be addressed by including a CDi (Induced drag) into the calculations.
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