Non-negligible Effect During Transition Flight: A Study on Propeller Influences Under Oblique-Inflow

Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) with multi-flight modes are attracting increasing attention because of their wide application potential. Their flights share a common feature: propellers often operate under some degree of oblique-inflow conditions, particularly during hover-to-cruise transition. Traditional modeling approaches for MAV primarily focus on the aircraft’s aerodynamics while neglecting the additional forces and moments generated by the propeller under oblique-inflow. Our analysis reveals that these effects are non-negligible for modeling and performance. To investigate this phenomenon, wind tunnel tests are conducted to analyze the 6 degree of freedom force and torque of the propeller during transition flight. Based on the modified model of MAV, we re-analyzed the transition progress, demonstrating the necessity of this research.