We derive optimal autorotative landing trajectories, for the case of a small-scale helicopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). These open-loop optimal trajectories represent the solution to the minimization of a cost objective, given system dynamics, controls and states equality and inequality constraints. The plant dynamics features a 3-D nonlinear helicopter model, including dynamics from the rigid body, the main rotor Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), and the actuators. In this paper, we extend our previous results on optimal autorotation, and present an improved cost functional which, during the flight, maximizes helicopter performance and control smoothness, while minimizing roll-yaw cross-coupling. Further, we compute the Height-Velocity (H-V) diagram, and we include a novel obstacle avoidance capability. Finally, we conclude by a discussion of several simulation examples.
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