Landing an H-60 in Brownout Conditions Using 3D-LZ Displays

This paper details the results of the flight test of the Three Dimensional Landing Zone (3D-LZ) LADAR and the Brown-Out Symbology System (BOSS). The LADAR was built by H.N. Burns Engineering Corp. under a contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The BOSS symbol set was originally developed by the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD), and upgraded by AFRL. These two technologies were integrated together on the AFDD EH-60L aircraft to enable pilots to safely fly the aircraft (with symbology) while viewing obstacle locations (from the LADAR) throughout landing and hover in severe brownout conditions. Four pilots were able to safely land the aircraft in heavy dust 23 times out of 31 attempts at the dust course at Yuma Proving Ground. Two pilots also conducted an approach-to-high-hover, hover translation, and hover over a load maneuver (without sling cables) in the dust. Pilot performance data as well as subjective rating data are presented in this paper.