Wade Carpenter wrote:

> Second, to clarify, I was intitally hoping to have functionality similar to
> the futaba.  I'm also not familiar with coordinated turns, but I think I get
> the idea =)

A coordinated turn is one in which you are neither skidding nor slipping.
Exclusive of gust corrections, ailerons, rudder, and elevators are in neutral
position while you are in a coordinated turn (as most turns are).  As you no
doubt know, ailerons and rudder are used only to start and stop a turn, not to
maintain it.

> In the end, somethign to help stabilize turns would be quite useful indeed.

Far and away the cheapest way to go would be a  commercial piezo gyro with the
pic setting the bias.  Doing it that way, you could select and maintain any rate
of turn that you wish, in addition to maintaining level flight.  Most general
aviation aircraft with single axis wing-levelers cock them 45 degrees forward
from vertical so that they can be used for approximate heading hold as well as
wing leveling.

> In fact, though, fully-autonomous flight seems to be quite a way off, so for
> now we are hoping to start with just a circuit using the PIC to level the
> wings with respect to horizontal during what is intended to be, level
> flight, no turning or anything like that.

It is just about as easy to implement the capability for turning too.

Jim

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