A HELICOPTER HANDLING-QUALITIES STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF ENGINE RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS, HEIGHT-CONTROL DYNAMICS, AND EXCESS POWER ON NAP-OF-THE-EARTH OPERATIONS

A ground-based simulation study was conducted on a large-scale motion simulator to study the effects in the vertical axis of engine response characteristics on handling qualities for a nap-of-the-earth (NOE) operating environment. This study concentrated specifically on the helicopter configuration with an rpm-governed gas-turbine engine and expands previous work by focusing on aspects peculiar to rotary-wing and NOE operations. A wide range of engine response time, vehicle damping and sensitivity, and excess power levels was studied. The data are compared with the existing handling-qualities specifications, MIL-F-83300 and AGARD 577, and in general show a need for higher minimums when performing such NOE maneuvers as a dolphin and bob-up task.