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Progress in the development of a versatile pilot model for the evaluation of rotorcraft performance, control strategy and pilot workload

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

R. Bradley  and
G. Brindley
R. Bradley
Affiliation:
School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
G. Brindley
Affiliation:
School of Computing, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
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Abstract

The evaluation of rotorcraft performance and handling qualities in piloted flight using a desk-top simulation is a desirable facility. The development of the SYCOS pilot model has brought this capability closer by simulating piloted flight along prescribed trajectories such as the Mission Task Elements of ADS-33. This development has overcome some of the limitations of the precise control of inverse simulation, by adopting a structure which includes a corrective component that adjusts the control strategy to counteract departures from the desired flight path. The development and implementation of SYCOS for a range of rotorcraft types and applications is shown to be well defined and straightforward. The capability and reliability of SYCOS is demonstrated through a number of recent applications in performance, control strategy and pilot workload studies. Some of the applications benefit from enhancements to the basic structure and these are described in context. The accumulation of experience with the SYCOS pilot indicates that it is a significant advance as a predictor of human control activity during helicopter manoeuvring flight.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 107 , Issue 1078 , December 2003 , pp. 731 - 738
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2003 

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