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Daniel McShan [email protected] May 26 Status Update - Widgets! May 26, 2015 at 9:38 AM Allen Bishop [email protected] Mark Monroe [email protected], Don Hume [email protected], Constantin Diehl [email protected], Gary Bishop [email protected]

Allen, et.al. As a show of our continued good faith in spite of your contract termination and refusal to pay… Despite a ridiculously busy weekend - and my pride not to work without pay - I have personally added functioning standalone widgets for MissionPlanning and H2 Vehicle Widget as described in the most recent status update to the repository. I apologize that we dropped the ball on GCS previously. I believe with this weekend’s effort, we are very much on track with where you are demanding us to be. As the repository is private, and none of you have yet requested access, I have attached some screenshots as well as application executables for the standalone widgets to serve as acceptable deliverables. It’s for Mac, though, as you have the Windows laptop. Constantin should be able to download and demonstrate them on his laptop. All the gauges work, and calculations are live. Obviously, there are a few things yet to be done but I really want to impress upon you our diligence and devotion to your project. I should have these integrated into GCS by end of today. The repository wiki clearly outlines the deliverable status for every item in your list and attempt to clarify acceptance criteria. I believe there is ample evidence that each item is nearly complete or dependent on RefTEK to continue: Specifically, for items listed under Phase I of Appendix B: Flight Control, PixHawk Auto Pilot – this autopilot has been customize, demonstrated on the IRIS+ platform, gains have been tuned on the H1 platform. Hover tests were ready to be run, but we had drained battery from gains tuning. RefTEK removed the autopilot from H1 in mid March before hover tests could be completed. Nonetheless, there is little reason to suspect that the H1 platform will not hover as expected now that gains are tuned. -

Flight Control, Manual Parachute Control – we are dependent on RefTEK to define the Manual Parachute Control interface.

Ground Control Station, Mission Planning – an 90% prototype is complete in the repository (as attached). Ready for review by RefTEK. Ground Control Station, H2 Widget – an 90% prototype is complete in the repository (as attached). Ready for review by RefTEK. Simulation, H2 Simulation - primarily we need a smaller/better model of H2. We are dependent on Denver Dynamics / RefTEK to provide. The Mission Visualization design we are currently baselining will leverage a “preplay” capability in which we use the simulator to execute a faster than realtime sim of the mission and the GCS then simply plays the log file. This alleviates the computer from having to render the graphics while trying to simulate the vehicle. Obviously the sim still requires data from prop/flight tests to accurately characterize thrust response, etc. With a better model and these changes, I believe you will find them to be acceptable in function, performance, and appearance. All Phase I deliverable should now be in an acceptable state in consideration of the funds expended to date and blocking dependencies. Given another month of effort, and some discussions to clarify what you want, everything would be exactly as you desire - on schedule and under budget. I would respectfully ask that you reconsider immediate payment of our outstanding invoices by the end of the day today. I appreciate your prompt consideration. Sincerely, Dan McShan Syzygyx, Inc

VehicleWidget.app

MissionPlanner.app

On May 23, 2015, at 12:51 PM, Daniel McShan wrote: Allen and RefTEK, I am surprised and saddened that you are terminating the contract. To pickup on Mark’s metaphor, it is as if you hired me to fix your washing machine. We agree that it will cost you some hourly rate for my time. Given the uncertainties of washing machine repair, there is no guarantee of the work it will require or the time it will take to complete, but we estimate 6pm. You come in around 3pm, see the washing machine in pieces and are upset that the washing machine isn’t done and the color is exactly the wrong shade of pink. I explain to you in detail what needs to be done in the next few hours to address these concerns and assure you that the washing machine will be done. In spite of our agreement, you tell me that you will not pay me. You then insist that I should finish the washing machine by 4pm for free and it better be the right shade of pink or you will not pay me for the past couple hours. Since I do not agree to work for free, you ask me to leave at 3pm. You are left with a bunch of pieces and you still owe me for the unpaid hours of washing machine labor at a cost that seems unreasonable for a bunch of washing machine pieces. We are both left unhappy for your unjustified and unexpected choice to breach our agreement. Back to Hummingbird… simply put, you are not in possession of acceptable version of the deliverables because we are not done with them. As I have explained, we are on track to complete what is in scope for this contract, and I believe everything would have been delivered by end of June as scoped to include all your GCS desires, a nicely integrated 6DOF sim for mission planning, a mission visualization system, and the avionics system to fly your vehicle. We will be able to simulate an entire H2 mission computing thrust and power to tell you exactly what your PPU performance specifications need to be. It’s absolutely the tool you need to succeed. Additionally, we would have added a reference vehicle to demonstrate and test the entire system since H2 is not ready for flight. On schedule and at significantly less cost than proposed. This is all outlined in last Friday’s status update. We have been a valuable member of your Hummingbird II team, assisting with propulsion and power in addition to our scoped tasks. We have provided you with important physics and analytical capability essential for your success. We have the aerospace, simulation, controls and test expertise that you will need to fly this extraordinarily complex and very unique vehicle. Not to mention the credibility required to convince the FAA to certify your aircraft. We are an excellent fit for your team, and your success is strongly dependent upon our performance. The flight, ground and simulation system foundations we have engineered for you are completely operational. The window dressings aren’t quite to your desires, but they will be. On schedule and under budget. I have assembled some contract closeout issues for your review. 1. Here is a link to the private repository documenting our work and providing much of the information and software deliverables you might need to continue on your H2 adventure. https://github.com/Syzygyx/RefTEK/wiki The wiki has links to most everything, including a detailed explanation of status for everything in scope. It contains all the software developed for RefTEK. For everyone’s security, it is a private repository. You’ll then need a github account to access it and I will make the private repository available to you in perpetuity as we agreed upon. If you want to look at our issue board (screenshot in wiki), you’ll need a github account and I can get you instructions. The issue board has tasks to completed, tasks that are ready to be completed, tasks in progress and tasks done. This serves as deliverable for all our work for RefTEK both in scope (rtGCS, rtFSW, rtSIM) and out of scope (Arduino support for Prop and Power).

scope (Arduino support for Prop and Power). 2. I believe that we have your laser altimeter, and you have a couple of our Arduino boards. We can exchange these at your convenience. 3. Finally, here is the final invoice to cover time worked in May. It is due upon receipt. Your outstanding balance is $63,192.50 for work performed in April and in May. This was primarily work on avionics specification and design, ground control (making pretty gauges) and Simulink simulation, including integration with GCS and Visualization. Not paying invoices for agreed upon services is unquestionably in breach of the contract that we agreed upon. Terminating the relationship does not make these contractual obligations go away. I implore you to do the right thing for everyone involved and pay us for the services we have performed for you in good faith. I know it is unpalatable to pay for a bunch of wrongly shaded washing machine parts… Perhaps I am too much of an optimist, but I believe there still is a mutually beneficial path forward by which you have deliverables you are happy with by the end of next month as contractually scoped. If you do wish to go forward, I will insist that you maintain a schedule with milestones, deliverables, and well defined acceptance/demonstration criteria and track the tasks to achieve it. We will update our issue board daily. It will give you visibility into what we are doing, what our resource allocations are and how it fits into the big picture. We then finish your washing machine, and it will be exactly the right shade of pink, on schedule and under budget and everyone is happy. A much preferred outcome for everyone. I will be reallocating and refocusing our resources and effort on Tuesday morning in light of your unexpected contract termination. So, if you are interested in moving forward, please let me know before then. In summary, we have performed services exactly according to our agreement which is well documented and clearly reported to you. Your termination for non-performance is unjustified and unexpected. Your path to success requires the engineering skills, technology and expertise we have. I have given you access to all the deliverables in their current state. Refusing to pay us for the services we have performed is an obvious breach of contract. I have offered a reasonable remedy to your concerns and a path for completion. I look forward to your reply. We have enjoyed working with Reference Technologies, and we wish you the very best in all your endeavors. Dan McShan, PhD Syzygyx, Incorporated

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