A Pilot in the Loop Analysis of Several Kinds of Helicopter Acceleration/ Deceleration Maneuvers

It is becoming increasingly convenient to measure and analyze directly the control strategy of pilots involved in performing authentic tasks both in simulators and in flight. As a result, it is now possible to begin compiling a catalog of engineering descriptions of various flight tasks, the associated piloting technique, and the perceptual pathways involved. This paper describes how a certain class of helicopter flight tasks, namely acceleration/ deceleration manewers, can be quantified and put to use in the fields oi handling qualities, flight training, and evaluation of simxlator fidelity. The three specific cases include the normal speed change maneuver, the nap-of-the-earth dash/ quickstop, and the decelerating approach to hover. All of these maneuvers share coamon generic features in terms of pilot adaptation and mathanatical description; yet each differs in terms of the essential feedback loop structure, Laplications for handling qualities requirenents, and simulator fidelity criteria.