INAV-Based Adaptive Transition Control for QuadPlane VTOL UAVs in Urban Wind Gust Environments

Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are gradually being organized for urban surveillance because of their runway independence and long-range efficiency in fixed-wing mode. The critical transition phase between hover and forward flight, compromising safety and energy efficiency, is weakened due to the changeable wind gusts in urban environments. This research paper presents an adaptive transition control algorithm for quadplane VTOL UAVs, applied on the SpeedyBee F405 Wing flight controller running INAV to dynamically regulate transition parameters (airspeed, pitch angle, and throttle) in real-time based on wind conditions. Our approach angles data from the M10 GPS, IMU, and an optional pitot tube to guess wind disturbances and optimize the transition process autonomously, contrasting conventional static transition methods. A 20% reduction in transition failures is demonstrated by field tests under gusty urban-like conditions as compared to the fixed-parameter systems, combined with an improvement of 15% in energy efficiency during surveillance missions. The System’s low-cost and open-source architecture makes it reachable for applications such as autonomous urban patrols, disaster monitoring or infrastructure inspection, where reliable VTOL operation is essential. These findings highlight the potential of adaptive algorithms to enhance the robustness of VTOL UAVs in turbulent urban airspaces, paving the way for safer and more sustainable aerial surveillance.