FHS - Experimental System for Flying Helicopter Simulator put into Operation

On Nov. 7th, 2002 the Flying Helicopter Simulator FHS has been handed over to its owner, the German Aerospace Center DLR and user specific flight tests have begun. This fly-by-light helicopter serves as a test bed for technology design and evaluation, especially related to the critical man-machine interface. The basis of this flight vehicle is an EC 135 helicopter, which has been modified by introducing a hierarchical fly-by-light control system for the safety pilot as well as for the evaluation pilot. The first flight of this system took place in summer 2002.This paper will focus on the design and realization of the experimental system, both in terms of hardware and software. It will include the lessons learned during the development and the certification of the experimental system. Additionally, the architecture which realizes a strict separation between safety critical and non safety critical parts through the hierarchical design will be addressed. The paper ends with the presentation of the research projects which are currently under work using the FHS.