Autorotation

Practice (Manual) Autorotation Setup

In versions 4.4 and later, the ability to conduct power re-engagement from an autorotation has been added. This feature will work with ESC’s using their built-in governor, the ardupilot throttle curve or the ardupilot built-in governor. Three parameters were added to accommodate this feature.

  • H_RSC_AROT_MN_EN - Enables manual autorotations (0 - Disable, 1 - Enable)

  • H_RSC_AROT_ENG_T - Time to ramp throttle back to motorlock enabled value during power recovery in seconds

  • H_RSC_AROT_IDLE - Idle throttle value in percent used during autorotation. This can be set to the value that signals the ESC to perform a fast spool-up when performing a power recovery.

ESC Governor

Enable manual autoratation by setting H_RSC_AROT_MN_EN to 1. Leave H_RSC_AROT_ENG_T at the default setting of 1 second to quickly signal the ESC for fast spool-up. Set the throttle idle value, H_RSC_AROT_IDLE, to the percent of throttle given by the ESC manual that signals the ESC to perform a fast spool-up.

Ardupilot’s Throttle Curve or Built-in Governor

Enable manual autoratation by setting H_RSC_AROT_MN_EN to 1. Set H_RSC_AROT_ENG_T to bring the throttle back to the throttle curve quickly. One to two seconds woudld be sufficient. If desired, the throttle idle value, H_RSC_AROT_IDLE, can be set to a higher value for ICE engines to remain at a higher engine RPM in the descent. For electric engines using the throttle curve or built-in governor, set it to zero.

Semi-Autonomous Autorotation Setup

Future enhancement to provide autonomous pitch control during autorotation is planned.