Overview
The unit will provide you with the fundamental knowledge of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems technology. You will explore current and future developments of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems applications such as surveying, photography, inspections, agriculture, and mining with a focus on applying automation in these areas. You will cover important elements of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems operations, including weight and balance on design and structure. You will also evaluate the impact of the various navigation systems on Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems applications and will have exposure to other aspects associated with operating a Remote Piloted Aircraft such as Human Factors, Air Legislation, and Meteorology. You will get the opportunity to select components, and assemble, operate and maintain a Remote Piloted Aircraft System to support a given scenario. At the end of this unit, you will be able to build and fly a Remote Piloted Aircraft. If you complete the optional residential school activity, you will be eligible to apply for Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot) and the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority Remote Pilot License and Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: Completion of 72cps.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Optional Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Compare different types of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems applications, associated structural devices, and their integration into a working unit
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills by assembling components, and operating and maintaining a Remote Piloted Aircraft System
- Reflect and report on the impact of the various navigation systems, human factors, and meteorology on Remote Piloted Aircraft operations
- Build and fly a Remote Piloted Aircraft safely and competently
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team by completing a mini-project.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 20% | |||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | |||||
| 4 - Project (applied) - 30% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.malouf@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Lecture 1
RPA Applications
Chapter
Lessonbook 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 1
Module/Topic
Lecture 2
Infotechnological devices
Chapter
Lessonbook 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2
Written Assignment Due: Week 4 Wednesday (29 Mar 2023) 11:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Lecture 3
RPA Hardware
Chapter
Lessonbook 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3
Module/Topic
Lecture 4
RPA Software, sensors, telemetry
Chapter
Lessonbook 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 4
Written Assignment Due: Week 4 Wednesday (29 Mar 2023) 11:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Lecture 5
RPA Aeronautical knowledge-fixed wing
Chapter
Lessonbook 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 5
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture 6
RPA Aeronautical Knowledge-rotary wing
Chapter
Lessonbook 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 6
Module/Topic
Lecture 7
Automated vs autonomous flight management systems
Chapter
Lessonbook 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 7
Module/Topic
Lecture 8
RPA Navigation
Chapter
Lessonbook 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 8
Module/Topic
Lecture 9
Meteorology
Chapter
Aviation Australia to provide lecture content
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture 10
Human Factors
Chapter
Aviation Australia to provide lecture content
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture 11
Residential week and or RPA Build project and flight test
For those doing Res week, you will complete the Cert 3 (RPA)
Chapter
Aviation Australia to run the res school
Events and Submissions/Topic
Kits to be provided
Build Project Due: Week 11 Friday (26 May 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Flight test Due: Week 11 Friday (26 May 2023) 11:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Summary and Assessment for Cert III
Chapter
Aviation Australia
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exact dates to be advised.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
Eight open-book online quizzes designed to assess your skills in locating, reviewing, and applying information from lectures and relevant online sources. Each quiz consists of 10 multiple-choice questions. You have 20 minutes to complete each quiz.
Each quiz will be open on Wednesday at 5.00pm and will close the following Wednesday at 5.00pm. There will be a link to each quiz in Moodle
8
Weekly
Each quiz is due every Wednesday for the first 8 lectures. It is sat online through Moodle
Each quiz is automatically marked immediately after sitting it.
Quizzes 1-8 will assess knowledge from Lectures 1-8, which include:
- Compare different types of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems applications, associated structural devices, and their integration into a working unit
- Reflect and report on the impact of the various navigation systems, human factors, and meteorology on Remote Piloted Aircraft operations
2 Written Assessment
The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) industry is constantly evolving, and research helps drive innovation by exploring new technologies and methods for building and using RPAS. This can lead to the development of new applications for RPAS and expand the market for RPAS-based products and services.
Identify six (6) RPAS hardware components and investigate how by understanding their functions, researchers can develop new and improved versions to enhance the performance of RPAS.
Use the following structure:
1. Introduction
Provide an overview of the study, including
a. The background and context of the study
b. The purpose and objectives of the research
2. Main Body
a. Identify the six components
b. Describe how each component functions
c. Explain the influence each component has on the components it is attached to
d. Discuss what innovative modifications can be applied to the RPAS componentry to improve performance and safety
e. Use diagrams, schematics or photos to clarify your discussion
3. Conclusion
a. provide a conclusion as to how, by understanding RPAS componentry and functions, researchers can develop new and improved versions to enhance the performance of RPAS.
Week 4 Wednesday (29 Mar 2023) 11:00 pm AEST
Upload to Moodle
Week 5 Wednesday (5 Apr 2023)
online
The written assignment will be marked out of 20 marks as follows:
1. Introduction (3 Marks)
Provide an overview of the study, including
a. The background and context of the study
b. The purpose and objectives of the research
2. Main Body (15 Marks)
a. Identify the six components
b. Describe how each component functions
c. Explain the influence each component has on the components it is attached to
d. Discuss what innovative modifications can be applied to the RPAS componentry to improve performance and safety
e. Use diagrams, schematics or photos to clarify your discussion
3. Conclusion (2 Marks)
a. provide a conclusion as to how, by understanding RPAS componentry and functions, researchers can develop new and improved versions to enhance the performance of RPAS.
4. Referencing Style is to be American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
- Compare different types of Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems applications, associated structural devices, and their integration into a working unit
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills by assembling components, and operating and maintaining a Remote Piloted Aircraft System
- Reflect and report on the impact of the various navigation systems, human factors, and meteorology on Remote Piloted Aircraft operations
3 Project (applied)
Work in groups of 2-3 to build the Eachine Tyro 79 or 99 from an ensemble of parts. Work together to:
1. assemble the frame
2. Mount the FPV System
3. Mount and power the receiver
4. Mount the motors
5. Mount the PDB
6. Mount and wire the Flight Controller
7. Complete a "Continuity test"
8. Test the FPV system
9. Complete the build
10.Configure software (use BetaFlight)
11.Final Test including a flight test
12. Take a video of each step and once finished upload video into Moodle under "Assignment 3"
Week 11 Friday (26 May 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Upload video to Moodle under Assignment 3"
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023)
Online
The build project will be marked out of 30 Marks as follows:
1. assemble the frame - 2 Marks
2. Mount the FPV System - 2 Marks
3. Mount and power the receiver - 2 Marks
4. Mount the motors - 2 Marks
5. Mount the PDB - 2 Marks
6. Mount and wire the Flight Controller - 2 Marks
7. Complete a "Continuity test" - 3 Marks
8. Test the FPV system -3 Marks
9. Complete the build - 2 Marks
10.Configure software (use BetaFlight) - 4 Marks
11.Final Test including a flight test - 4 Marks
12. Take a video of each step and once finished upload video into Moodle under "Assignment 3" - 2 Marks
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills by assembling components, and operating and maintaining a Remote Piloted Aircraft System
- Build and fly a Remote Piloted Aircraft safely and competently
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team by completing a mini-project.
4 Practical Assessment
Carry out a flight test that includes the following steps:
1. Preparation:
2. Pre-flight checks:
3. Take-off:
4. Basic flight maneuvers
5. Landing:
6. Post-flight inspection:
Students doing the flight test remotely must submit a video showing the test
Week 11 Friday (26 May 2023) 11:00 pm AEST
Aviation Australia to assess or those not attending Res Week to upload video into Moodle
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023)
Online
This assessment will be marked out of 20 Marks as follows:
1. Preparation: - 2 Mark
2. Pre-flight checks: - 1 Mark
3. Take-off: - 5 Mark
4. Basic flight maneuvers - 5 Mark
5. Landing: - 5 Mark
6. Post-flight inspection: - 2 Mark
Students doing the flight test remotely must submit a video showing the test
- Build and fly a Remote Piloted Aircraft safely and competently
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team by completing a mini-project.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
