Design an Aircraft Autopilot in Python using FlightGear

Flight Stabilization & Control, PID Tuning, Sensor Fusion (Complementary & Kalman Filter), Automated Waypoint Navigation

What you'll learn
Understand the basics of FlightGear flight simulator and how to control it using Python
Grasp core aircraft dynamics concepts: roll, pitch, yaw
Python scripts to control aircraft control surfaces & automated takeoff
Learn and apply PID control for wing leveling and altitude hold
Coordinated turn to avoid adverse yaw and dutch roll problem
Automated waypoint navigation using GPS, Haversine formula, and heading adjustment
Complementary filter as sensor fusion technique to estimate aircraft attitude
Aircraft Stabilization based upon sensor fusion of IMU data
North-East-Down (NED) coordinate system for representing aircraft position and orientation
Body frame to NED frame conversion
Kalman filter for aircraft state estimation
Automated waypoint navigation based upon Kalman Filter as sensor fusion technique

Requirements
Basics of python programming & commitment to learn

Description
Welcome to this hands-on course where you'll learn how to build an aircraft autopilot system in Python using the FlightGear simulator. Starting with the basics of aircraft dynamics, FlightGear setup, and communication over UDP sockets, you'll gradually progress to writing Python scripts that control ailerons, elevators, and rudders, and even perform automated take-offs. You'll dive into flight stabilization using PID controllers, understand the role of IMUs, and implement key flight maneuvers like wing leveling, altitude hold, and coordinated turns. As the course advances, you'll develop automated waypoint navigation using GPS concepts, Haversine formulas, and heading control. Finally, you'll explore advanced sensor fusion techniques—like complementary and Kalman filters—to estimate aircraft orientation and position, and use it for autonomous waypoint navigation. Whether you're an aspiring aerospace engineer, a hobbyist, or a developer interested in autonomous systems, this course offers the perfect blend of theory and practical coding to bring your own autopilot system to life.Course Contents:Section 1: IntroductionIntroduction to Flightgear and its Python InterfaceUnderstanding UDP Sockets Used for Communication between Python and FlightgearUnderstanding Roll, Pitch & YawInstalling Flightgear & Flightgear Python Library in LinuxPython Script to Control the Aileron, Elevator and Rudder of an AircraftPython Program for Automated Plane Take-offImportant Functions in Python Program For Automated TakeoffSection 2: Basic Flight Stabilization & ControlWing Leveling Using PID ControllerWhat is an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and its function?Proportional Integral Derivateive (PID) ControllerPython Code for Automatic Wing LevelingHow to Tune PID Controller Coefficients?How Adverse Yaw Can Trigger Dutch Roll?What is Coordinated Turn to avoid Adverse Yaw?How to Implement Coordinated Turn?Python Code for Automatic Wing Leveling with Co-ordinated Turn LogicAircraft Altitude Hold Using the Proportional ControllerPython Code for Aircraft Altitude Hold Using the Proportional ControllerSection 3: Automated Navigation & Waypoint FollowingWhat is Waypoint Following?What are Latitude and Longitude?Haversine Formula for Distance Calculation & implementation in codeBearing Calculation & implementation in codePID Controller for Heading AdjustmentHow to Add Waypoints?Waypoint Switching LogicPython Code for Automated Waypoint NavigationSection 4: Advanced Aircraft Stabilization based upon Sensor Fusion of IMU DataAutomatic Wing Leveling Based Upon IMU DataUnderstanding IMU measurementsRoll and Pitch Estimation using Accelerometer DataRoll and Pitch Estimation using Gyroscopic Data Complementary Filter for Sensor FusionYaw Estimation Using GyroscopeOverall Block Diagram for Roll, Pitch and Yaw EstimationPID Controllers for Roll and Pitch ControlPython Program Automatic Wing Leveling Based Upon IMU DataSection 5: Advanced Automated Waypoint Navigation based upon Sensor FusionAutomated Waypoint Navigation based on Sensor FusionNED (North-East-Down) Co-ordinate SystemBody Frame Co-ordinate SystemBody Frame to NED Frame ConversionOverview of Kalman FilterProblem Context: Aircraft State EstimationKalman Filter Prediction & update stepsKalman Filter implementation in Python CodeTransform from Body to NED Frame in Python CodePython Code for Automated Waypoint Navigation using Sensor Fusion

Who this course is for
Aerospace students looking to gain hands-on experience in flight control systems, navigation, and sensor fusion
Drone and UAV enthusiasts who want to understand and build autopilot systems using real simulation tools
Python developers interested in applying their coding skills to aircraft simulation and autonomous control
Flight simulation hobbyists who want to go beyond flying and learn the science and code behind autonomous aircraft behavior
Educators and researchers who need a project-based approach to teach or experiment with flight dynamics, stabilization, and navigation systems