Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle capable of high angle-of-attack maneuvering

An aerial vehicle comprising:

• a body comprising a first fixed wing and a second fixed wing, the body having a forward end and a rearward end;
• a propeller configured to rotate about a propeller axis;
• a motor operably coupled to the propeller and configured to rotate the propeller at a controlled rotational speed to generate thrust, wherein the propeller is an only source of thrust for aerial propulsion for the aerial vehicle;
• a propeller gimbal operably coupled to the body at the forward end, the propeller gimbal being configured to pivot the propeller about a gimbal pivot axis to change a propeller angle, the propeller angle being an angle of the propeller axis of rotation relative to a wing plane, the wing plane being a plane that extends through the first fixed wing and the second fixed wing;
• a control surface assembly coupled to the body;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• control the control surface assembly, based on a flight trajectory, to cause the aerial vehicle to enter a stall attitude, and
• while in the stall attitude, to control the propeller gimbal to pivot the propeller into a position where the aerial vehicle remains airborne despite maintaining the stall attitude, wherein
• the controller is further configured to control the motor, the propeller gimbal, and the control surface assembly to perform a vertical takeoff by:
• controlling the motor to rotate the propeller at a first rotational speed;
• controlling the propeller gimbal to pivot the propeller to a first propeller angle that is greater than fifty-five degrees;
• controlling the motor to rotate the propeller at a second rotational speed that is greater than the first rotational speed;
• in response to an angle-of-attack of the aerial vehicle exceeding a threshold angle, controlling the propeller gimbal to pivot the propeller to reduce the propeller angle to a second propeller angle that is less than the first propeller angle;
• and
• in response to reaching a threshold altitude, controlling the propeller gimbal to pivot the propeller to a third propeller angle that is less than the second propeller angle for forward flight.