eess.SYSep 6, 2026

Dynamic System Emulation: Fixed Wing Dynamics on a Multicopter

Authors: Abdelhakim Amer, Andriy Sarabakha

Organizations: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark

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Abstract

This work presents a control framework that enables a multicopter equipped with a two-axis gimbal to emulate the flight dynamics of a fixed-wing aircraft. The goal is to provide an operationally simple platform for training and simulation that avoids the aerodynamic constraints of fixed-wing vehicles, such as minimum airspeed and nonholonomic constraints. A state-input mapping between the two platforms is derived using dynamic feedback linearization. The framework is evaluated on representative fixed-wing manoeuvres. Results show high-fidelity emulation under nominal conditions. While evaluations are conducted in simulation, the approach establishes a practical path toward hardware deployment for pilot training, autonomy research, and controller benchmarking.

Figures & tables

Fig. 1: Fixed-wing aircraft shown with its reference frames, control inputs (in red) and output variables (in blue).
Fig. 2: Multicopter with two-axis gimbal shown with its reference frames, control inputs (in red) and output variables (in blue).
Fig. 3: Overview of the proposed framework.
Fig. 4: Position and orientation tracking during level-flight.
Fixed-Wing (Redbull Edge 540)
Mass530 kg
Moments of inertia(2419, 2133, 4552) kg·m²
Wingspan7.40 m
Wing Area9.10 m²
Mean Chord1.23 m
Max Speed118 m/s
TABLE I: Vehicle Parameters
Fig. 5: 3D trajectories of the fixed-wing aircraft (red), multicopter position (blue), and gimbal camera position (3-D axis) for level flight.
Fig. 6: Position and orientation tracking during the loop manoeuvre. Despite the aggressive dynamics, the gimbal camera position and orientation (green) accurately follow the fixed-wing reference (red), while the multicopter (blue) exhibits a large pitch necessary to maintain the required thrust vectoring.
Fig. 7: 3D trajectories of the fixed-wing aircraft (red), multicopter position (blue), and gimbal camera position (3-D axis) for loop manoeuvres.
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