This paper proposes a simple flying rotor prototype composed of two small airplanes attached to each other with a rigid rod so that they can rotate around themselves. The prototype is intended to perform hover flights with more autonomy than existing classic helicopters or quad-rotors. Given that the two airplanes can fly apart from each other, the induced flow which normally appears in rotorcrafts will be significantly reduced. The issue that is addressed in the paper is how this flying rotor prototype can be modeled and controlled. A model of the prototype is obtained by computing the kinetic and potential energies and applying the Euler Lagrange equations. Furthermore, in order to simplify the equations, it has been considered that the yaw angular displacement evolves much faster than the other variables. Furthermore a study is presented to virtually create a swashplate which is a central mechanism in helicopters. Such virtual swashplate is created by introducing a sinusoidal control on the airplanes’ elevators. The torque amplitude will be proportional to the sinusoidal amplitude and the direction will be determined by the phase of the sinusoidal. A simple nonlinear control algorithm is proposed and its performance is tested in numerical simulations.

The increasing development in aerial vehicles shows a wide range of configurations for different requirements. Many of them combine conventional configurations’ features to take advantage of their qualities, such as performing a cruise flight as an airplane and hovering like a helicopter. Thereby, this study analyzes the modeling and control of a pair of fixed-wing airplanes joined together to form a larger rotor that incorporates valuable features in missions with aerial vehicles. The model uses the Lagrange approach to obtain the motion equations in the flight plane, and two control strategies are proposed to regulate the movement in the horizontal plane: a cyclic proportional derivative control and a positive function. Both controls generate a sinusoidal signal to regulate the thrust of the motors, and this leads to the generation of pulses that direct and move the vehicle toward a desired position until it is reached. Our analysis is validated by simulation that shows how both controls govern the center of mass position of the rotating planes, and it also shows the airplanes’ trajectory. The results show good performance.