Concept of a Predictive Analysis Tool for Ship Helicopter Operational Limitations of Various In-Service Conditions

The Ship Helicopter Operational Limitation qualification programs are based on a high number of independent variables causing the full operational potential to be almost impossible to achieve within the small window allowed for sea trials. It would be a clear advantage to have a predictive engineering tool to perform early evaluation of safety limits for operating aircraft from ships in a wide range of in-service conditions and so be less dependent on the results from several dedicated sea trials. For this reason a predictive analysis tool is under development based on specific rejection criteria for each helicopter type and their dependencies in the ship environment. The tool could be used for determining the Candidate Flight Envelope for each ship type, allowing larger steps in an incremental approach towards flight envelope restrictions, sensible exclusion of test points and accurate readacross between other helicopter-ship combinations. The accuracy of predictions by the analysis tool allows advanced insight into the cost effectiveness of complete sea trials and ultimately certification of large parts of the envelope with minimal sea trials