Hi, I'm Praneet Vayalali, currently serving as a Flight Simulation Engineer at Volocopter, Germany . Originally from India, I relocated to Germany after earning my PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York.
I have a strong passion for aviation and specialize in flight dynamics and control. My current focus is on developing the VoloCity Flight Simulator, ensuring its comprehensive functionality for the type certification of the VoloCity aircraft. Being part of a start-up environment has made me a versatile and adaptive team player. In addition to developing the flight simulator, I have assessed the handling qualities of the VoloCity aircraft, validated and improved the flight physics simulation model using flight test data, and analyzed its aeroelastic stability.
VoloCity aircraft flying in Bruchsal, Germany. Image taken from volocopter.com
In my previous endeavors, I have successfully developed damage-tolerant control systems for VTOL aircraft, leveraging redundant control effectors and modern control design techniques. Over the past decade, I have honed my skills with tools like MATLAB, Simulink, FLIGHTLAB, CONDUIT, CIFER, etc. as well as programming languages like C++ and Python. I continually seek to expand my expertise by learning new tools, such as PX4 and ROS, through online resources.
Compound Helicopter - derivative of UH-60A Black Hawk. Image taken from PhD dissertation
Examine adaptive and robust fly‑by‑wire flight control strategies that can tolerate damage/degradation in various control effectors to enable safe flight on VTOL aircraft with control redundancy.
Perform nonlinear flight simulation and handling qualities (ADS‑33E) based analysis on the use of various control allocation and modern control design techniques on a UH‑60 Black Hawk and derivative compound helicopter platforms.
Work with a team of two to investigate the potential for fault compensation in flight for a lift‑offset coaxial helicopter by examining the interchangeability of controls at different points within the flight envelope, thereby identifying allowable fault cases for the vehicle.
Helped with the development of an elastic blade coaxial‑pusher helicopter trim model based on the X2 TechnologyTM demonstrator which was then used to explore trim control variation in different flight regimes.
Characterized a fully instrumented small‑size rotary‑wing unmanned aerial vehicle (RUAV) using a frequency domain based experimental system identification technique.
Flight test of a 1 kg class RUAV was conducted and its responses were recorded. The closed‑loop responses were analyzed to extract a bareairframe 6‑DOF linear flight dynamics state space model of the aircraft for hover flight condition. This was followed up by experimental verification.
Conducted over 500 axial recoil tests on single carbon fibers of varying lengths and diameters (order of 10 microns) in order to determine the compressive strength of the fiber. This experimental data was then used to statistically model the scattering in strength due to various parameters.
Examined frequency response of non‑rotating GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) rectangular beams using finite element analysis for varying delamination sizes and positions.
Conducted sinusoidal sweep experimental tests on GFRP beams to validate the simulation results.
Performed modal analysis (using finite element method) on rotating composite beams to simulate rotating wind turbine blades.
Proposed a synchropter as a VTOL aircraft design capable of search and rescue missions at the summit of Mt Everest, where only one helicopter has ever landed and taken off again.
Developed a 6‑DOF flight dynamics model and analyzed the autonomous dynamics of the proposed rotorcraft design. Design constraints include freezing temperatures, thin air and hostile weather conditions with degraded visual environment all contribute to making rescue work in high‑altitude environments particularly dangerous or impossible.
Won third place in the graduate category the vertical flight society’s 36th annual student design competition.
Optimized power using the main rotor speed and stabilator pitch incidence as design variables on a physics‑based UH‑60 Black Hawk helicopter simulation model at a cruise speed of 140 knots.
Nonlinear flight simulation model with PID and LQR controllers were developed for a 2 kg quadrotor helicopter and their performance was compared in simulation.
Compared control schemes using controller gains tuned for the hover flight condition and flown for single waypoint and multiple waypoint trajectories.
Worked with a team of seven to propose a design for an air taxi system that operates out of confined urban areas requiring vertical and short takeoff and landing capability.
Worked with a team of seven to propose a design for an air taxi system that operates out of confined urban areas requiring vertical and short takeoff and landing capability.
McKay, M., Vayalali, P., Gandhi, F., Berger, T., Lopez, M.J.S., "Control Allocation Reconfiguration for Actuator Failure on a Coaxial-Pusher Helicopter", Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 68(3), July 2023, pp. 32004-32015(12), DOI:10.4050/JAHS.68.032004.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Krishnamurthi, J., Gandhi, F., “Fault‑Tolerant Control on a UH‑60 Black Hawk Helicopter using Horizontal Stabilator,” CEAS Aeronautical Journal, Vol. 12(1), Jan 2021, pp. 13‑27, DOI:10.1007/s13272‑020‑00476‑5.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Krishnamurthi, J., Gandhi, F., “Horizontal Stabilator Utilization for Post Swashplate Failure Operation on a UH‑60 Black Hawk Helicopter,” Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 65, April 2020, pp. 1–13(13), DOI:10.4050/JAHS.65.022009.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Gandhi, F., “Fault-Tolerant Control Allocation on a Compound Helicopter in Cruise,” Proceedings of the Vertical Flight Society 77th Annual Forum, Virtual, 10-14 May 2021.
McKay, M., Vayalali, P., Gandhi, F., Berger, T., Lopez, M. J. S., “Redistributed Control Allocation for Flight Control Failure on a Coaxial Helicopter,” Proceedings of the Vertical Flight Society 77th Annual Forum, Virtual, 10-14 May 2021.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Gandhi, F., “Redistributed Pseudoinverse Control Allocation for Actuator Failure on a Compound Helicopter,” Proceedings of the Vertical Flight Society 76th Annual Forum, Virtual, 6-8 Oct 2020.
McKay, M.,Vayalali, P., Gandhi, F., “Post‑Failure Control Reconfiguration for a Lift‑Offset Coaxial Helicopter,” Proceedings of the Vertical Flight Society 76th Annual Forum, Virtual, 6-8 Oct 2020.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Krishnamurthi, J., Gandhi, F., “Robust Use of Horizontal Stabilator in Feedback Control on a UH‑60 Black Hawk,” Proceedings of the Vertical Flight Society 75th Annual Forum, Philadelphia, PA, 13-17 May 2019.
Vayalali, P., McKay, M., Krishnamurthi, J., Gandhi, F., “Swashplate Actuator Failure Compensation for UH‑60 Black Hawk in Cruise Using Horizontal Stabilator,” Proceedings of the 74th American Helicopter Society Annual Forum, Phoenix, AZ, 7‑10 May 2018.
