Past, present, and future tools of the rotary wing flight test engineer

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. HILL
Keyword(s):  
Flight Test ◽  
Rotary Wing

Part I: Instrument Flight Developments

1962 ◽  
Vol 66 (614) ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Harry W. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Flight Test ◽  
Mechanical Reliability ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Flight Operations ◽  
The Future ◽  
Rotary Wing

SummaryHelicopters have reached a state of mechanical reliability today comparable to that of the aeroplane. Rotary wing aircraft have been severely limited performancewise, however, by the fixed wing type of instrumentation commonly used. It has been impossible to operate helicopters throughout their complete flight regime in their normal operational areas during instrument flight conditions. This paper defines the problem, the approach taken by Bell Helicopter Company, the flight test programmes and results, and the future for helicopter instrument flight operations in both populated and remote areas using information sensors and displays designed expressly for VTOL machines.

Identification of gyroplane lateral/directional stability and control characteristics from flight test

1998 ◽  
Vol 212 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
S S Houston
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Accident Rate ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Directional Stability ◽  
Control Derivatives ◽  
Limited Application ◽  
And Control ◽  
Rotary Wing

This paper presents an analysis of test data recorded during flight trials of a gyroplane. This class of rotary-wing aircraft has found limited application in areas other than sport or recreational flying. However, the accident rate is such that a study of the configuration's stability and control characteristics is timely, and in addition substantive data are required for a new airworthiness and design standard that is under development. The paper complements previous work on the longitudinal degrees of freedom and, as a consequence, serves to consolidate the understanding of gyroplane stability and control. The identified derivatives are related to specific aspects of the layout of the gyroplane, and hence the influence of design on the static and dynamic behaviour is quantified. It is concluded that robust estimates of the lateral and directional stability and control derivatives have been identified. This analysis has focused on ‘high-speed’ flight, and the identified derivatives highlight benign and ‘conventional’ characteristics in this part of the flight envelope.

Rotary-wing flight test methods used for the evaluation of night vision devices

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loran A. Haworth ◽  
Christopher J. Blanken ◽  
Zoltan P. Szoboszlay
Keyword(s):  
Flight Test ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Night Vision ◽  
Rotary Wing

scholarly journals An Analysis of Harmonic Airloads Acting on Helicopter Rotor Blades

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iftekhar A. Riyad ◽  
Uttam K. Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Flight Test ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Near Wake ◽  
Rapid Variation ◽  
Vortex Sheets ◽  
Helicopter Rotor Blades ◽  
Rotor Disk ◽  
Induced Velocity ◽  
Lifting Line ◽  
Rotary Wing

Rotary wing aircrafts in any flight conditions suffer from excessive vibration which makes the passengers feel uncomfortable and causes fatigue failure in the structure. The main sources of vibration are the rotor harmonic airloads which originate primarily from the rapid variation of flow around the blade due to the vortex wake. Unlike fixed wing aircrafts, helicopter wake consists of helical vortex sheets trailed behind each blade and remains under the rotor disk which induces vertical downwash velocities at chordwise and spanwise stations of the blade. In this study, a mathematical model is developed for rotor blades to compute the harmonic loads induced velocity at rotor blades for two flight conditions-vertical takeoff and landing, and forward flight. This method is useful for the performance analysis of rotor blade and selection of airfoils for the blade. The sectional lift, drag, and pitching moment are computed at a radial blade station for both flight conditions. The numerical integration of Biot-Savart relation are done for all the trailing and shed vortices to calculate the downwash through the rotor disc. The airloads are calculated using the relation between harmonic and inflow coefficients. The lift at a particular radial station is computed considering trailing and shed vortices and summing over each blade. Lifting-surface and lifting-line theories are applied to near wake and far wake, respectively, to calculate the downwash and inflow through the rotor disc. The results for lift are compared to the experimental flight-test data.

An investigation of the flight dynamic characteristics of gyroplanes by use of flight tests

2004 ◽  
Vol 108 (1088) ◽  
pp. 531-535
Author(s):  
V. M. Spathopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Flight Test ◽  
Accident Rate ◽  
Simulation Data ◽  
Stable Mode ◽  
Stability And Control ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Limited Application ◽  
The Stability ◽  
And Control ◽  
Rotary Wing

AbstractAn analysis is presented both of flight test and simulation data obtained from a gyroplane aircraft. This class of rotary-wing vehicle has found limited application in areas other than recreational flying, however the accident rate has been such that it has prompted the study of the configuration’s stability and control characteristics. It is concluded that the flight dynamic response of the gyroplane examined is dominated by a fast, non-stable mode, affecting all states and thus increasing pilot workload. Simulation results indicate that the position of the centre of gravity significantly influences the stability of this mode.

Some examples of pilot/vehicle dynamics identified from flight test records

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney C. Wingrove ◽  
Frederick G. Edwards ◽  
Armando E. Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Vehicle Dynamics ◽  
Flight Test
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