Flight Control Software Development Develop flight control algorithms for: Attitude stabilization (roll, pitch, yaw) Position control Altitude control Autonomous navigation Takeoff and landing Implement and optimize: PID controllers Model Predictive Control (MPC) Adaptive control algorithms Sensor fusion algorithms
Flight Control Hardware Development Design flight controller electronics: MCU/CPU selection IMU integration (gyroscope, accelerometer) Barometer Magnetometer GPS/GNSS modules Hardware schematic and PCB design EMI/EMC verification
Sensor Fusion and Navigation Integrate data from: IMU GPS Magnetometer Barometer Vision sensors LiDAR Develop state estimation algorithms: Kalman Filter Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) Complementary Filter
Embedded Systems Development Real-time operating systems (RTOS) Firmware development in: C C++ Driver development for sensors and peripherals Communication protocols: UART CAN SPI I2C MAVLink
Simulation and Modeling Build simulation environments using: MATLAB/Simulink Gazebo PX4 SITL ROS Verify flight algorithms before real flight testing
Flight Testing Ground testing Bench testing Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing Flight testing Flight data analysis and troubleshooting
Safety and Reliability Engineering Fault detection and recovery Redundant system design Emergency landing logic Failsafe mechanisms Compliance with aviation regulations Common Tools and Technologies Category Tools Programming C, C++, Python Control Design MATLAB, Simulink Robotics ROS, ROS2 Flight Stack PX4, ArduPilot Debugging JTAG, Logic Analyzer Simulation Gazebo, AirSim Version Control Git Embedded STM32, NXP, TI processors Typical Positions Within a Flight Control Team Flight Control Algorithm Engineer Navigation & Guidance Engineer Embedded Software Engineer Flight Control Hardware Engineer Sensor Fusion Engineer Autonomy Engineer Flight Test Engineer UAV Systems Engineer Skills Usually Required Control theory Classical and modern control systems Embedded programming (C/C++) Sensor fusion Robotics Aerodynamics State estimation Real-time systems Mathematics (linear algebra, differential equations, probability)
