An Investigation of Rotorcraft Stability-Phase Margin Requirements in Hover

A cooperative study was performed to investigate the handling quality effects from reduced flight control system stability margins, and the trade-offs with higher disturbance rejection bandwidth (DRB). The piloted simulation study, performed on the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator, included three...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Blanken, Chris L, Lusardi, Jeff A, Ivler, Christina M, Tischler, Mark B, Hoefinger, Marc T, Decker, William A, Berger, Tom, Tucker, George E
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AERODYNAMIC CONFIGURATIONS
AERODYNAMIC STABILITY
Aerodynamics
AVIATION SAFETY
DISTURBANCE RESPONSE
DRB(DISTURBANCE REJECTION BANDWIDTH)
FLIGHT CONTROL STABILITY
FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS
FLIGHT SIMULATION
HANDLING QUALITIES
HELICOPTER ROTORS
Helicopters
HOVERING
Military Aircraft Operations
MILITARY ROTORCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL DESIGN
PILOTS
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
SYMPOSIA
TEST METHODS
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Summary:A cooperative study was performed to investigate the handling quality effects from reduced flight control system stability margins, and the trade-offs with higher disturbance rejection bandwidth (DRB). The piloted simulation study, performed on the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator, included three classes of rotorcraft in four configurations: a utility-class helicopter; a medium-lift helicopter evaluated with and without an external slung load; and a large (heavy-lift) civil tiltrotor aircraft. This large aircraft also allowed an initial assessment of ADS-33 handling quality requirements for an aircraft of this size. Ten experimental test pilots representing the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, NASA, rotorcraft industry, and the German Army (WTD 61), evaluated the four aircraft configurations, for a range of flight control stability margins and turbulence levels, while primarily performing the ADS-33 Hover and Lateral Reposition MTEs. Pilot comments and aircraft-task performance data were analyzed. The preliminary stability margin results suggest higher DRB and less phase margin cases are preferred as the aircraft increases in size. Extra care will need to be taken to assess the influence of variability when nominal flight control gains start with reduced margins. Phase margins as low as 20-23 degrees resulted in low disturbance response damping ratios, objectionable oscillations, PIO tendencies, and a perception of an incipient handling qualities cliff. Pilot comments on the disturbance response of the aircraft correlated well to the DRB guidelines provided in the ADS-33 Test Guide. The ADS-33 mid-term response-to-control damping ratio metrics can be measured and applied to the disturbance-response damping ratio. An initial assessment of LCTR yaw bandwidth shows the current Level 1 boundary needs to be relaxed to help account for a large pilot off-set from the c.g. Presented at the American Helicopter Society Annual Forum (65th), Grapevine, Tx, 27-29 May 2009.