Abstract Fixed and rotary wing pilots alike are familiar with potential instabilities or with annoying limit cycle oscillations that arise from the effort of controlling aircraft with high response actuation systems. Understanding, predicting and suppressing these inadvertent and sustained aircraft oscillations, known as aircraft (rotorcraft)-pilot couplings (A/RPCs) is a challenging problem for the designers. The goal of the present paper is to give an overview on the state-of-the-art in RPC problem, underlining the future challenges in this field. It is shown that, exactly as in the case of fixed wing APCs, RPCs existed from the beginning of rotorcraft development and that the problem of eliminating them is not yet solved: the current rotorcraft modelling for RPC analysis is rather limited to the particular case analysed and there is a lack of quantitative pilot behavioural models to analyse RPCs. The paper underlines the importance of involuntary pilot control actions, generally attributed to biodynamic couplings in predicting RPCs in rotorcraft. It is also shown that recent experiences demonstrate that modern rotorcraft seem to embed tendencies predisposing the flight control system FCS system towards dangerous RPCs. As the level of automation is likely to increase in future designs, extending to smaller aircraft and to different kinds of operation, the consequences of the pilot ‘fighting’ the FCS system and inducing A/RPCs needs to be eradicated. In Europe, the ARISTOTEL project (2010–2013) has been launched with the aim of understanding and predicting modern aircraft's susceptibility to A/RPC. The present paper gives an overview of future challenges to be solved for RPC-free design and some new solutions herein.
Adverse rotorcraft pilot couplings—Past, present and future challenges
Progress in Aerospace Sciences ; 62 ; 1-51
2013-01-01
51 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Rotorcraft pilot coupling (RPC) , Aircraft pilot coupling (APC) , Pilot induced oscillations (PIO) , Pilot assisted oscillations (PAO) , Automatic flight control system (AFCS) , ACAH , attitude command/attitude hold , ACARE , Advisory Council for Aeronautic Research in Europe , ADOCS , advanced digital/optical control system , AFCS , automatic flight control system , ALAR , approach and landing accident reduction , APCs , aircraft-pilot couplings , A/RPCs , aircraft-/rotorcraft-pilot couplings , ARTI , advanced rotorcraft technology integration , ATTHeS , advanced technologies testing helicopter system , BAT , boundary avoidance tracking , BDFT , biodynamic feedthrough , BF , boundary feedback , BRC , boundary reactive control , dof , degree of freedom , EMS , Emergency Medical Services , fbw , fly-by-wire , FCS , flight control system , FT , force task , HHC , higher harmonic control , HQs , handling qualities , HQDT , handling qualities during tracking , IBC , individual blade control , IQC , integral quadratic constraints , ITD , integrated technology demonstrator , LAHOS , landing high order system , LTI , linear time invariant , MTE , mission task element , OLOP , open loop onset point , NoE , nap of the earth , PAC , phase aggression criterion , PACT , pilot authorisation and control of tasks , PRE-PAC , prediction algorithm-phase aggression criterion , PIO , pilot induced oscillations , PAO , pilot assisted oscillations , PIOR , PIO rating , PT , point tracking , Position task , PVS , pilot-vehicle system , RCAH , rate command-attitude hold , RLEs/PLEs , rate limiting element/ position limiting element , ROVER , real-time oscillation verifier , RPCs , rotorcraft-pilot couplings , RSA , robust stability analysis , RSS , relaxed static stability , RT , relax task , SAS/SCAS , stability augmentation system/stability and control augmentation system , SISO , single input–single output , SIMO , single input–multi-output , SOP , successive organisation of perception , TCL , thrust control lever , TDNS , time domain Neal-Smith criterion , VNE , never exceed speed
Adverse rotorcraft pilot couplings—Past, present and future challenges
Online Contents | 2013
|Adverse Aeroelastic Roll/Lateral Rotorcraft-Pilot Couplings Analysis
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2016
|A Retrospective Survey of Adverse Rotorcraft Pilot Couplings in European Perspective
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012
|