Avoiding Obstacles during Approach: DVE-Mitigation Flight Trials and Beyond

Helicopter landings on unprepared sites can quickly become a challenging task. Especially when environmental factors reduce the available visual cues for the pilot, the risk of disorientation increases. Motivated by avoiding accidents during helicopter approaches, a novel pilot assistance system was developed by a workgroup from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and HENSOLDT Sensors GmbH. The research system combines 3D conformal tunnel-in-the-sky symbology with dynamic path updates driven by a laser sensor. In early 2017, the system was evaluated in flight using DLR's research rotorcraft Active Control Technology/Flying Helicopter Simulator (ACT/FHS). The workgroup was tasked to participate in flight trials with U.S. and Swiss teams during the NATO sponsored flight trials within the scope of the DVE-Mitigation (DVE-M) program. In this program, international efforts in the development of systems for enhanced situational awareness during DVE are supported. The evaluation of the system during the DVE-M trials included approaches which were obstructed by a truck with a 20m high man lift. Four external test pilots participated in the evaluations. Following the positive results obtained during these trials, two further flights were conducted in local scenery at Braunschweig/Wolfsburg airport, including a construction site with a hangar and a crane. Results of these six flights are presented and discussed in detail.