A collective control arrangement for a helicopter comprises a collective handle 5210 disposed in an elongate channel 5212 within a pilot’s seat armrest (5230, Figure 4), allowing a pilot to grip the handle. The handle couples to one or more helicopter actuators controlling collective pitch of the rotor blades. The armrest may be arranged centrally in a cockpit and may have an elbow support (5232) positioned above the channel and collective handle. The channel may be curved, arranged parallel to a longitudinal axis of the helicopter and may be formed in a vertical face of the armrest, the handle protruding horizontally. An elongate arm (5220, Figure 5) may extend from the handle to below the cockpit floor, pivotably fixed and being substantially hidden by the armrest, such that the arm pivots as the handle is slid in the channel. An auxiliary collective handle 5320 may be provided for a co-pilot. A second embodiment comprises a collective control arrangement for a helicopter comprising a first collective handle translatable along a linear path and a second collective handle for a co-pilot pivotable about a point. The handles are coupled to at least one actuator such that eithers movement controls collective rotor pitch.
Helicopter collective control apparatus
2022-07-27
Patent
Electronic Resource
English