A GENERALIZED SLING LOAD MODEL FOR THE V-22 FFS

A generalized sling load model has been developed for the Marine Corps and Air Force V-22 Full Flight Simulators (FFS). The model is designed to provide the realism and flexibility necessary to train pilots for external load operations in a high-speed tilt-rotor aircraft. External load configurations may be defined with any number of slings, load attach points, surface contact points, and cargo hooks, to allow for training with a wide variety of load types. A surface reaction model produces realistic load behavior during ground and shipboard operations. Aerodynamic forces are calculated in such a way that representative behavior can be generated for the various load types, even at unusual attitudes. Homogeneous coordinates help streamline the model’s numerous geometry calculations. With this approach, no special techniques are required to handle the complex dynamics and unusual attitudes involved in the inadvertent hook release or load mismanagement scenarios. An analytical check of the model is included for the case of a simple pendulum-type load, comparisons are made to existing flight test data, and sample output from an interactive visualization tool is provided.