Browse Topic: Visibility
Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft present a series of challenges to traditional aviation infrastructure that was designed for conventional rotorcraft. Questions have arisen within the vertical flight community as to the validity and applicability of applying current heliport markings and symbology to vertiports. Several of these questions were addressed in a previous paper from VFS Forum 80: "A Comparison of Proposed Concepts for Vertiport Markings and Symbology" (Ref. 6). In contrast, this paper extends that work and presents the results of additional research to enhance the visibility of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) “Broken Wheel” symbology. These notional enhancements to the "Broken Wheel" symbology were evaluated over the course of an experimental study using helicopter-rated pilots in the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center’s S76-D and Loft Dynamics H125 and R22 rotorcraft flight simulators.
Several efforts have been made to develop Flight Test Maneuvers for Handling Qualities evaluations, aimed at quantifying the effects of vehicle characteristics and assistance systems on a Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling mission profile. However, these Flight Test Maneuvers have not achieved widespread adoption, likely due to the substantial logistical challenges associated with tanker deployment. Depending on a tanker aircraft not only incurs significant costs but also requires extensive organizational effort and prior testing, before Handling Qualities can be evaluated for the aerial refueling capabilities of a new rotorcraft design. Additionally, these available Flight Test Maneuver setups are not standardized or widely applied to the same degree as Mission Task Elements of the Aeronautical Design Standard, which limits repeatability and comparability. A new approach is proposed to address these limitations by introducing a repeatable, standardized method to reveal Handling Qualities
Time-resolved background-oriented schlieren (BOS) data are used to calculate the two-dimensional velocity field in the wake of free-flying full-scale helicopters in ground effect. The calculation is performed based on the density gradient pattern of the helicopter engine exhaust gas passing the BOS field of view. A classical BOS evaluation allows the visualization of density gradients such as vortices and the exhaust plume. The result is the BOS displacement field. Applying the two-dimensional divergence to this data results in a pattern that is constant in shape across multiple BOS images, but convects downstream with the outwash velocity of the helicopter. Using this data as input to a second, timeresolved evaluation, quantitative two-dimensional velocity fields are calculated. Choosing an appropriate strategy for preparing and evaluating the data is critical to reliable velocity estimation. Another important aspect is to distinguish between reliable velocity data and erroneous
Piloted simulation has been used for decades to support flight test activities at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. Conventional lab stations at the Manned Flight Simulator facility have been used effectively to support a wide range of flight test requirements. However, there were limitations with these conventional lab stations when the purpose was to assess handling qualities and pilot workload while landing rotorcraft aboard a ship. Two critical simulation elements were determined to be necessary: (1) an expanded field of view so the pilot could see the ship deck below the aircraft and (2) a motion system to provide the pilot with vital proprioceptive cueing in the turbulent ship environment. A new Virtual Reality Lab was developed at Patuxent River that included these key features. The primary components of the lab included virtual reality headsets, an Unreal Engine image generator, ocean and ship visual models, a six
Vacuum suction cups are used as transforming handles in stamping lines, which are essential in developing automation and mechanization. However, the vacuum suction cup will crack due to fatigue or long-term operation or installation angle, which directly affects production productivity and safety. The better design will help increase the cups' service life. If the location of stress concentration can be predicted, this can prevent the occurrence of cracks in advance and effectively increase the service life. However, the traditional strain measurement technology cannot meet the requirements of tracking large-field stains and precise point tracking simultaneously in the same area, especially for stacking or narrow parts of the suction cups. The application must allow multiple measurements of hidden component strain information in different fields of view, which would add cost. In this study, a unique multi-camera three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) system was designed
Attempting to pick through bad weather - becoming disoriented in diminished visibility or striking a wire or obstacle at low altitude - remains one of the major causes of fatal helicopter accidents. It is more common than engine failure, more common than mechanical failures, and more common than systems failures. While some feel the answer involves more tools to enable low-flying helicopters to avoid terrain and obstacles, a better solution is to keep helicopters safely away from terrain and obstacles using instrument flight rules (IFR) when weather conditions demand. For single engine helicopters, which form the largest population of helicopters, this means finding cost effective ways to provide them with safe and practical IFR capability. IFR capability is commonplace in airplanes, even among entry-level and training aircraft. An IFR rating is typically the first rating sought after an airplane pilot receives their license. For helicopters, there is currently not a parallel culture
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