PX4-Autopilot: [Bug] rc_cessna cannot be launched without having a ground station running.

Describe the bug

The rc_cessna model cannot take off without also having a ground station open. All other models present in PX4 for Gazebo do not require a ground station to be open and can be commandeered solely from the PX4 command line.

To Reproduce

Run make px4_sitl gz_rc_cessna while not running QGC or AMC.

Expected behavior

Model should be able to arm and provide the Ready for takeoff! prompt after which the vehicle can be launched through the PX4 command line.

Screenshot / Media

Flight Log

N/A

Software Version

Current PX4 main branch, Commit: 26fd4c852c52837e306790e0f86b27d0b0df516e

Flight controller

It’s in simulation.

Vehicle type

Fixed Wing

How are the different components wired up (including port information)

No response

Additional context

No response

About this issue

Original URL
State: open
Created 8 months ago
Comments: 15 (15 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

I agree with @Jaeyoung-Lim.

Somewhat contradicting myself here, but I’m not opposed to having some kind of alternative for this use case.

maybe we could have an alternate airframe explicitly called x500_no_gcs?
find a way to cheat like having the console become a stand-in for manual control?
- here’s a somewhat silly idea I had for CLI manual_control https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/pull/17681, but we could easily add a few more things like this aerostack2 keyboard teleop https://aerostack2.github.io/_06_user_interfaces/_keyboard_teleoperation/index.html#introduction

dagar on Oct 31, 2023

Should we really set this though? I feel like a decent amount of people still fly real vehicles with a conventional RC connection and no GCS, but from what I read from the code this would then end up in a pre-flight fail.

I am asking since I couldn’t find it in the airframe configs. If we are to change this we should for all vehicles, not just fixedwings.

At least for me, enabling it would be the safer option. I wouldn’t assume someone flying with no GCS connection without any feedback would know what they are doing - unless they opt-in to this option. They can still fly without a GCS connection. They just can’t do it without understanding that PX4 has different flight modes, and the behavior is not fully defined with the four stick inputs.

Jaeyoung-Lim on Nov 6, 2023

We should keep the current behavior

At least I shouldnt make flying without a ground station connection the default.

Jaeyoung-Lim on Oct 31, 2023