A Handling Qualities Oriented Approach to Rotorcraft Conceptual Design

This work lays the foundations for a rotorcraft design tool that includes the study of handling qualities during the conceptual design stage. Results from NDARC, a conceptual design software developed by NASA, are used to build a flight mechanics model augmented with a simplified flight control system. Handling qualities are evaluated for the resulting rotorcraft design; the results are used to influence the rotorcraft re-design until the desired requirements are met. The design tool is implemented into a general and versatile environment, able to account for different rotorcraft architectures and to host innovative features. An example is the automatic generation of the rotorcraft model meant for coupling the conceptual design tool with a flight simulator in support of subjective handling qualities evaluation.