Preliminary Design and Testing of a Reconnaissance Emergency Aircraft for Critical Hurricane Relief

HERO 1 (Hurricane and Emergency Response Operative) is a fixed-high-wing, tri-motor, tilt-prop unmanned aerial vehicle designed, built, and flight tested at North Carolina State University for the 2024 NASA Gateways to Blue Skies Competition. The aircraft features vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), short takeoff and landing (STOL), and conventional flight capabilities with amphibious water landing functionality. This paper presents the vehicle design methodology, manufacturing processes, and verification testing including successful hover, transition, and water VTOL flight demonstrations. Key design features include a 10-ft wingspan high-aspect-ratio wing, inverted V-tail empennage, servo-actuated tilt-rotor mechanism, and composite construction achieving a maximum takeoff weight under 20 lbs. The design methodology employed iterative trade studies using weighted Pugh matrices to systematically evaluate configuration alternatives against functional requirements, followed by first-order feasibility analysis and high-fidelity CFD and FEA verification.