This paper analyzes the effects of the helicopter dynamics on pilots' learning process and transfer of learned skills during autorotation training. A quasi-transfer-of-training experiment was performed with 10 experienced helicopter pilots in the SIMONA moving-base flight simulator at Delft University of Technology. Pilots had to control an in-house flight dynamics model setup to simulate two types of helicopter dynamics: (1) a "hard"dynamics characterized by a low autorotative flare index requiring high pilot control compensation and (2) a "easy"dynamics characterized by a high autorotative flare index with low pilot control compensation required. Two groups of pilots tested these types of dynamics in a different training sequence: hard-easy-hard (HEH group) and easy-hard-easy (EHE group). The main conclusion of this study proved that simulator training for autorotation can best start with pilots training in the most resource demanding condition. A more challenging helicopter's dynamics will require higher pilot agility and more rapid responses to his/her perceptual changes. This will result in pilots developing more robust and adaptable flying skills. Indeed, a clear positive transfer of training effect was observed in the experiment presented in this paper in terms of acquired pilot skills in the HEH group, but not the EHE group. Positive transfer was especially observed in terms of reduced rate of descent at touchdown. The two groups differed in the control strategy applied, with the HEH group having developed a control technique mimicking more closely the one adopted in a real helicopter.

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This paper analyzes the effects of the helicopter dynamics on pilots’ learning process and transfer of learned skills during autorotation training. A quasi-transfer-of-training experiment was performed with 14 experienced helicopter pilots in a moving-base flight simulator. Two types of helicopter dynamics, characterized by a different autorotative index, were considered: “hard,” with high pilot compensation required, and “easy,” with low compensation required. Two groups of pilots tested the two types of dynamics in a different training sequence: hard-easy-hard (HEH group) and easy-hard-easy (EHE group). Participants of both groups were able to attain adequate performance at touchdown in most of the landings with both types of dynamics. However, a clear positive transfer effect in terms of acquired skills is found in both groups from the hard to the easy dynamics, but not from the easy to the hard dynamics, confirming previous experimental evidence. Positive transfer is especially observed for the rate of descent at touchdown. The two groups differed in the control strategy applied, with the HEH group having developed a more robust control technique. During the last training phase the EHE group aligned its control strategy with that of the HEH group.@en

Training has the potential to inject a “safety vaccination” into the rotorcraft community by reducing the number of accidents. The term training should not be intended only in a strict sense, i.e., as pilot technical skills training, but more broadly as risk avoidance and safety culture training. As in the case of vaccination, where immunity is created only when applied on a large scale, helicopter accidents will not be eradicated until every player in the rotorcraft community is involved in the safety enhancement process. In particular, as outlined by accident and safety reports, a reduction in the helicopter accident rate cannot be accomplished disregarding pilots’ training and the contribution that _ight simulators can provide to both training and certi_cation. This paper provides an overview of the research into simulator training for helicopter pilots conducted as part of the European Joint Doctorate NITROS (Network for Innovative Training on Rotorcraft Safety). An approach that requires an in-depth analysis of the actual training task is adopted for two different maneuvers, namely hover and autorotation. This approach enables the training developer to understand what are the aspects of the actual training situation that should be reproduced in the simulated training situation to avoid ineffective training and negative transfer of skills. Moreover, such an approach allows to identify differences in terms of requirements between the training of basic and advanced maneuvers and between initial and recurrent training. The results of three different pilot-in-theloop experiments, performed to explicitly con_rm the effectiveness of developed training programs and to understand whether certain elements of the simulation can foster the development of superior _ying skills, are summarized in this paper. @en

The research presented in this paper focuses on the development of a quasi-Linear Parameter Varying (qLPV) model for the XV-15 tiltrotor aircraft. The specific category of qLPV modeling technique, known as the model stitching technique, is employed to model the time-varying dynamics of XV-15 tiltrotor aircraft over the entire flight envelope. In this modeling approach, discrete linear state-space models are interpolated through lookup tables as function of scheduling parameters with the implementation of nonlinear equations of motion. The XV-15 qLPV model is configured with four scheduling parameters: altitude, nacelle incidence angle, wing flap angle and velocity. Additionally, a computational complexity analysis is presented. In particular, computational sensitivity of qLPV models configured with lookup tables to number of states and number of scheduling parameters is demonstrated. This is done to show the feasibility of real-time implementation of qLPV models with increasing fidelity (number of states) and expanding dynamic flight envelope (number of scheduling parameters).

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Autorotation is a flight condition whereby the engine of a helicopter is no longer supplying power to the main rotor system, which is driven solely by the upward flow of the air moving through the rotor. For helicopters, autorotation is a common emergency procedure performed by pilots to safely land the vehicle in the event of a power failure or tail-rotor failure. In the classic analysis of dynamic stability of helicopters in powered flight, it is common practice to neglect the effect of variation of rotor angular velocity, as the rotorspeed is constant. However, this assumption is no longer justified in case of autorotative flight. Therefore, the rotorspeed becomes an additional degree-of-freedom in autorotation, giving rise to a new stability mode that couples with classical rigid-body modes. The present paper aims at understanding the role of the rotorspeed degree-of-freedom in modifying the stability characteristics in autorotation of rotor systems with different autorotative flare indexes. Results show that the helicopter dynamics are considerably affected in autorotation as a consequence of the fact that the rotorspeed degree of freedom couples with the heave subsidence mode. Therefore, autorotation requires a different control strategy by the pilot and should not be mistakenly considered only as an energy management task. Furthermore, the autorotative flare index, used to characterize the autorotative performance during the preliminary design phase of a new helicopter, provides only energy information. Indeed, this paper demonstrates that high values of this index, representative of good autorotative performance in terms of available energy over required energy, may lead to degraded stability characteristics of the helicopter in autorotation.

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A safe conversion of tiltrotor from helicopter mode to airplane mode is ensured through maneuvering within the conversion corridor, a constrained region in the airspeed versus nacelle angle graph. This paper presents preliminary work in the development of an automatic conversion maneuver. A high order quasi-Linear Parameter Varying model is developed for XV-15 that combines discrete state-space models to provide a varying model dynamics and trim characteristics during the conversion maneuver. Tracking control system based on gain scheduled linear quadratic tracker with integrator (LQTI) is designed for automatic conversion maneuver for XV-15 based on the qLPV model. Lastly, an optimization routine is performed to fly various conversion trajectories and identify optimal conversion maneuver.

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The paper investigates the basic mechanism of aeroservoelastic pilot-assisted oscillation about the roll axis due to the interaction with pilot’s arm biomechanics. The motivation stems from the observation that a rotor imbalance May occur as a consequence of rotor cyclic lead–lag modes excitation. The work shows that the instability mechanism is analogous to air resonance, in which the pilot’s involuntary action plays the role of the automatic flight control system. Using robust stability analysis, the paper shows how the pilot’s biodynamics May involuntarily lead to a roll/lateral instability. The mechanism of instability proves that the pilot biodynamics is participating in the destabilization of the system by transferring energy, i.e., by producing forces that do work for the energetically conjugated displacement, directly into the flapping mode. This destabilizes the airframe roll motion, which, in turn, causes lead–lag motion imbalance. It is found that, depending on the value of the time delay involved in the lateral cyclic control, the body couples with rotor motion in a different way. In the presence of small or no time delays, body roll couples with the rotor through the lead–lag degrees of freedom. The increase of the time delay above a certain threshold modifies this coupling: The body no longer couples with the rotor through lead–lag but directly through flap motion.@en

Helicopters are currently used in important applications providing a valuable contribution to society and economic growth. Thanks to their operational flexibility it is possible to accomplish increasingly complex missions. If the expansion of the usage of rotorcraft is to follow the pace of growth achieved by the fixed-wing public transport in the last years, several issues need to be urgently addressed to increase the use and the public acceptance of rotorcraft. Aspects related to complexity of the operations and safety are of primary importance, since in the last 20 years helicopter accident rates, worldwide, remained unacceptably high, when compared to fixed-wing aircraft. The complexity of the phenomena involved in rotorcraft flight calls for the training of engineers with a genuine multidisciplinary background. This paper presents the doctoral research and training program NITROS, which is set up under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action of the European Union to address complex solutions to rotorcraft safety.@en