A Comparison of PID and Sliding Mode Controllers for a Remotely Operated Helicopter

The focus of this paper is the design and comparison of controllers for a nonlinear mathematical model of a remotely operated helicopter (X-Cell 60 SE). The particular control methodologies used to design propulsion and heading control are based on PID and Sliding Mode theories. The design of these controllers is based on the assumption that the surge and heading dynamics of the system can be separated into independent subsystems, each having only one control input. The resulting controllers are tested through simulated manoeuvres on Matlab, and the results are compared. Their ability to cope with disturbances is also tested. The results show that both controllers perform well with or without external disturbances, but the Sliding Mode controller exhibits better overall performance.