Development and Validation of an On-Deck Helicopter Manoeuvring Simulation

This paper describes an ongoing multi-phase project to develop and validate the capability for performing detailed analysis of shipboard helicopter manoeurvring and traversing operations. The first phase of the project involves developing a four-degree-of-freedom interactive transient-dynamic simulation of shipboard helicopter handling. In the simulation, aircraft motions result from commanded force inputs provided by the Indal Technologies Inc. (ITI) Aircraft/Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse (ASIST) shipboard helicopter handling system. A detailed tire model is used to accurately represent complex tire-deck interactions. The second phase involves designing and commissioning a single-degree-of-freedom scale-model experimental motion platform, a scale-model ASIST system with two degrees of aircraft actuation, and a scale-model reconfigurable dead load test vehicle representative of a variety of maritime helicopters. The third phase involves comprehensive qualitative and quantitative validation of the simulation using both full-scale data without ship motion and scale-model data including the effect of ship motion. This paper describes the derivation and implementation of the mathematical simulation model, the design of the experimental motion platform, validation activity, and an overview of immediate and long-term applications of this technology.