Abstract:
A future helicopter vehicle management system must include technologies to minimize the impact of externally slung loads on the helicopter's controllability. Two proposed technologies, active cargo hooks (ACH) and stabilization through the flight control system, termed the Flight Control Load Stabilization (FCLS), are developed. A hybrid combination of the two technologies is also explored. The design and simulation of the technologies culminates in the flight testing of the ACH and FCLS, with the hybrid mode being flown for the first time. The results showed the ACH system significantly improving load damping which in turn resulted in significant improvements in several key metrics such as handling qualities and maneuver completion time. In contrast, the FCLS and hybrid approaches did not show the same expected benefits in flight. Post flight investigation revealed an error in the modeling, which may help explain the discrepancies. With this correction made and gains retuned, the next flight test planned for early 2015 will reassess the FCLS and hybrid technologies.