[Chris Fultz]

A few things to consider / be careful for -

Remote controlled helicopters are very challenging to operate. You should plan for lots of practice and lots of spare parts. Maybe look for a local RC club and see if someone there is flying helicopters and can give yousome pointers.

Many sensors do not have tight tolerances on their accuracy. Be sure to check the device specifications and be sure you will be able to develop the logic you are planning. The more sensitive and accurate the device, the more if costs. The smaller the range you want to measure the more accurate the device can be.

From the standards books, the ambient pressure at Sea Level is 14.696 psia.
At 10 feet, it is 14.6907, a difference of 0.036% or 0.0053 psi. To measure this requires extremely sensitive instruments. You will want to set up your program to look for a change in pressure from the starting point to help offset the accuracy of the device.

As a reference, a standard pressure transducer for a 'real' helicopter often carries an accuracy requirement of +/- 1% and might cost $1000. 1% accuracy means if the real pressure is 100 psia, the indicator might output anywhere from 99 - 101 psia and still be within it's accuracy capability.


Good Luck, sounds like a fun project.