A Portable Display for Evaluating Handling Qualities in Shipboard Hover

A limited flight test assessment of a portable display for evaluating handling qualities in shipboard hover was performed. The Portable Optical Navigation Guidance (PONG) display is intended as a land-based component for replicating the control motions required for hovering over the deck of a small ship. It is based on the Canadian National Research Council's Flight Research Laboratory's Superslide display. A U.S. Marine Corps fleet-configured Bell UH-1N, used by the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center's Naval Aviation Center for Rotorcraft Advancement organization, was flown by three pilots, all with recent shipboard experience, to assess the fidelity of PONG for varying forcing function intensity levels (Sea States). In this limited assessment, the pilots' comments about PONG were generally not as favorable as those given by other pilots for the NRC's Superslide. While the flight program did not provide an opportunity to identify the differences in configurations, possible reasons for the differences in pilot opinion are discussed.