In this review paper, a recurring theme is the interplay between flying qualities as a technical discipline and flying qualities as an operational attribute. This interplay provides the setting for a presentation on the status of helicopter flying quahties, using maritime helicopter operations as the focus, particularly the recovery phase and the helicopter-ship dynamic interface. Poor weather, inducing high sea states and ship motion, along with complex, invisible and disturbing airflow and degraded visibility, make the dynamic interface a particularly demanding environment for both pilot and helicopter.

Flying qualities are a product of four elements — the aircraft, the pilot, the task and the environment — and the maritime application serves to give this viewpoint its full perspective. Mission-oriented flying quahties engineering is described within the systems framework of Aeronautical Design Standard 33 (ADS-33), utilising concepts like the mission task element, usable cue environment, response type and dynamic response criteria. The innovative constructs introduced by ADS-33 for flying qualities in degraded visual conditions are given special attention. The paper argues that the requirements for what constitutes safe and easy, or Level 1, flying qualities now exist and are well substantiated. New aircraft can now be designed to achieve these performance and safety standards while existing aircraft can be upgraded with integrated flight management systems featuring advanced control/flying qualities technologies.

In this context, the paper also promotes the concept of concurrent requirements capture and preliminary design, to maximise the likelihood that user requirements are achieved and that designs are robust and work first time. The multidisciplinary nature of flying qualities is emphasised, embracing aeromechanics and flight dynamics, controls and displays and human factors. Similarly, the importance of high-fidelity design tools and comprehensive evaluation methods in the concurrent process is stressed.

Handling deficiencies can increase the risk of helicopter accidents, particularly in degraded visual conditions or in emergencies where excursions beyond the operational flight envelope can lead to piloting difficulties. These situations are the new challenges for flying qualities engineers, and two areas are discussed here in some detail. First, flight in severely degraded visual conditions, highlighting the importance of understanding the fundamentals of human visual perception in the development of integrated control and display augmentation. Second, handling qualities following tail rotor failures are discussed and results from current research to develop new advice for aircrew are presented. The author takes the view that much more can and needs to be done to assist the pilot in the management of the tension between performance and safety in helicopter operations, through the provision of improved flying qualities.

Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a vital role to play in aviation safety. However, such models have a heavy dependency on real evacuation data in order to (a) identify the key processes and factors associated with evacuation, (b) quantify variables and parameters associated with the identified factors/processes and finally (c) validate the models. The Fire Safety Engineering Group of the University of Greenwich is undertaking a large data extraction exercise from three major data sources in order to address these issues. This paper describes the extraction and application of data from one of these sources — aviation accident reports. To aid in the storage and analysis of the raw data, a computer database known as AASK (aircraft accident statistics and knowledge) is under development. AASK is being developed to store human observational and anecdotal data contained in accident reports and interview transcripts. AASK comprises four component sub-databases. These consist of the ACCIDENT (crash details), FLIGHT ATTENDANT (observations and actions of the flight attendants), FATALS (details concerning passenger fatalities) and PAX (observations and accounts from individual passengers) databases. AASK currently contains information from 25 survivable aviation accidents covering the period 4 April 1977 to 6 August 1995, involving some 2415 passengers, 2210 survivors, 205 fatalities and accounts from 669 people. In addition to aiding the development of aircraft evacuation models, AASK is also being used to challenge some of the myths which proliferate in the aviation safety industry such as, passenger exit selection during evacuation, nature and frequency of seat jumping, speed of passenger response and group dynamics. AASK can also be used to aid in the development of a more comprehensive approach to conducting post accident interviews, and will eventually be used to store the data directly.

The UK OST Technology Foresight for defence and aerospace identified multi-sensor data fusion as a future critical enabling technology for the UK, requiring a coordinated research agenda. This review paper provides an overview of past research and applications of data fusion. The process of data fusion and sensor integration is formally introduced together with a variety of implementation architectures, that recognise data fusion as a critical element in overall systems integration. The various benefits and attributes of data fusion are discussed together with a brief review of potentially fruitful areas of future research.

The anticipated size of the world airliner market over the period 1997-2016, and the resultant requirements for aluminium plate and extrusions to satisfy potential Airbus wing box production is reviewed.

The ‘value’ of technology and the threat posed by polymer composites to the future of aluminium alloys for large transport aircraft wing box structures is discussed and the prospect is raised that there may be limited further development potential for conventional aluminium alloys within the civil transport wing context. This may then force a re-evaluation of the role of aluminium-lithium alloys and other non-conventional metallic materials as alternatives to polymer composites.

Opportunities to maximise the cost-effectiveness of advanced aluminium alloys are discussed and the potential benefits of closer co-operation between the aircraft and aluminium industries highlighted within a joint technical and commercial framework.

The ‘challenge’ to the aluminium industry is described as a continuing requirement to assist the aircraft manufacturer to offer ‘optimum value’ products to the airlines. Otherwise, alternative technologies such as polymer composites will emerge and the pre-eminent position of aluminium in civil transport aircraft will be eroded.

This paper describes the results of a study focusing on the possibility of identifying nonlinear helicopter models in the time domain. In recent years, identification techniques working mainly in the frequency domain were applied to estimate the parameters in helicopter models. Recently, the time domain identification method of the DLR was improved to allow the identification of fully nonlinear models. To investigate the applicability of this method to helicopters, a nonlinear derivative model with explicit equations for the individual blade flapping angles was formulated. In comparison to the linear derivative models nonlinear models are physically more realistic and are not restricted by small perturbation assumptions. Although a large number of unknowns had to be determined, a nonlinear model was successfully identified.

Tonight we commemorate the achievements of Juan de la Cierva, the great pioneer of rotary aviation. His development of the autogyro stimulated the development of the early rotor theories and paved the way for the modern helicopter. In turning the autogyro into a practical aircraft, Cierva proved to be an innovator prepared to take an unconventional approach. He was at the same time pragmatic in that he really wanted to build a helicopter but realised that the required technology was not yet mature, and settled on the autogyro as representing what was an achievable concept. His concept was thus unconventional, dramatic and achievable — an admirable combination. However, in his first attempts to fly an autogyro he rapidly came up against the problem that faces all rotory wing designers — which is that the advancing blade has a much greater lifting potential than the retreating blade, due to the difference in dynamic head. This led him to introduce the flapping hinge that allowed the rotor to achieve roll balance as well as providing the backward tilt of the rotor that is necessary for autorotation. Having made this step forward, he realised that the introduction of blade camber would allow the retreating blade to achieve higher angles of incidence before stalling, but in so doing he built in a potentially dangerous control characteristic.

Computer based mathematical models describing the aircraft evacuation process have a vital role to play in the design and development of safer aircraft, the implementation of safer and more rigorous certification criteria, in cabin crew training and post-mortem accident investigation. As the risk of personal injury and the costs involved in performing large-scale evacuation experiments for the next generation ultra high capacity aircraft (UHCA) are expected to be high, the development and use of these evacuation modelling tools may become essential if these aircraft are to prove a viable reality. This paper describes the capabilities and limitations of the airEXODUS evacuation model and some attempts at validation, including its successful application to the prediction of a recent certification trial, prior to the actual trial taking place. Also described is a newly defined performance parameter known as OPS that can be used as a measure of evacuation trial optimality. In addition, sample evacuation simulations in the presence of fire atmospheres are described.

A computational analysis is performed of self-sustained oscillatory flow over a cavity driven by a shear layer at Mach 1·5. The unsteady flow is studied through solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with turbulence modelled by a two-equation k-ω model. The trailing edge (face) of a baseline rectangular cavity is modified using wedge and ramp shapes to investigate means for the suppression and attenuation of the self-sustained oscillation. Through modification of the shear layer impingement, both wedge and ramp are effective in reducing the level of oscillation. The time-averaged pressure (form) drag coefficient of the cavity is also reduced significantly. The main cause of the drag reduction is the elimination or reduction of the high pressure area near the downstream corner of the cavity due to the presence of a vortex. Two types of unsteady flow exist when a curved ramp is employed: ‘regular’ and ‘random’. The use of a h= 0·6D ramp generates a random type pressure fluctuation with lower rms pressure compared with the h= 0·2D and 0·4D ramps.

Optical pressure measurement using fluorescent techniques is being widely researched for use in windtunnels. The technique offers global coverage of model surface pressures. A paint, the fluorescence of which is dependent on air pressure, is applied to the surface of a windtunnel model and the pressure distribution is obtained from the intensities measured. There are three principle techniques used to produce the surface pressure distributions: radiometric imaging, lifetime measurement and fluorescent lifetime imaging.

Radiometric imaging produces global images. A constant illumination is used to excite the paint. The fluorescent intensity distribution is dependent on the surface pressure. Error analysis reveals that the technique has the highest precision at low absolute pressures. However, wind-off reference images are required to compensate for illumination and paint non-uniformity. Experimental investigation found that although this is able to compensate for rigid structures, model movement introduces registration and geometric errors. These errors can be corrected by processing at the expense of accuracy.

Lifetime measurement is a technique that uses pulsed illumination. The fluorescent lifetime is dependent on the pressure. A wind-off reference image is not required and error analysis predicts that the technique holds an advantage at high absolute pressures.

Fluorescent lifetime imaging produces global images using a modulated light source to excite the paint. The phase and modulation depth of the fluorescent signal are proportional to the pressure. A wind-off reference image is not required and error analysis predicts that the technique has the same advantages as lifetime imaging. Preliminary results from fluorescent lifetime imaging indicate that this technique can be implemented using robust, solid-state technology.

A method for performing three-dimensional, multipoint, lift-constrained drag minimisation for complex aircraft configurations is presented. Parameters representing the aircraft geometry are the design variables used in the solution of an optimisation problem. The compressible Euler equations for the flow are discretised on automatically generated unstructured meshes, and the sensitivities of the objective function and the constraints with respect to the design parameters are efficiently calculated using the discrete adjoint method. In addition, the solution algorithm has been parallelised making the approach feasible for practical applications. Several constrained minimisation strategies are discussed and some numerical tests are carried out for a lift-constrained, two-dimensional problem. The strategy found to work best is demonstrated for the three-dimensional optimisation of a wing-body configuration operating in transonic and supersonic conditions. It is concluded that Euler-based optimisation can be useful as a first step in the design process but that most applications involving transonic flows do require viscous flow modelling to avoid unrealistic pressure distributions.

Hingeless and bearingless rotor designs are today well accepted for modern helicopters. Continued development, however, revealed some deficiencies in the area of aeromechanical stability and vibration. In general there is a good basic understanding of how to avoid these instabilities. But since it becomes more and more desirable to focus rotor design on aerodynamic features and flight performance, these aeromechanical instabilities gain new importance due to the difficulties to provide the required damping.

Since all rotor concepts suffer from the lack of sufficient natural lead-lag or inplane damping most designs in use show artificial lead-lag dampers to overcome aeromechanical instabilities. Additionally, active control offers the possibility for an artificial stabilisation of aeromechanical instabilities. Meanwhile, many research activities focus on active control to augment rotor lead-lag damping and many authors demonstrate the potential inherent in this approach.

Equations of motion have been developed for the situation in which a substantial load, carried internally by an aircraft, is drawn along a ramp by an extraction parachute and is then dropped. The motion of the load is assumed to remain in the plane of symmetry. The perturbations to the aircraft motion are assumed to be small so that the equations can be linearised following the representation of the aerodynamic out-of-balance forces using conventional aerodynamic derivatives. The resulting system of six ordinary differential equations consists of the four normally associated with the longitudinally-perturbed motion of the aircraft (slightly modified by the reaction forces due to the load), together with two describing the motion of the load.

Numerical solutions are presented for a generic aircraft, the investigation examining the effects of a number of different parameters such as the ratio of the mass of the load to that of the aircraft, the length and angle of the ramp, the friction between the load and the ramp and the direction of the parachute extraction force. In addition the effects of employing various control strategies to limit the disturbed motion have also been computed.

It was found that the acceleration of the load, relative to the aircraft, was sensibly constant. In the absence of any resetting of the controls (elevators and throttle), the disturbances computed exceeded those for which the linearisation is justified. When the controls were reset, either as the load began to move or as it was jettisoned, to the trim values appropriate to the unloaded aircraft flying at the same speed, the disturbances were reduced, but remained large, the phugoid mode being dominant. The incorporation of various kinds of feedback from the disturbance variables to the elevator was also investigated and a successful control strategy was identified, that limited the perturbations and minimised the steady-state errors in airspeed and angle of climb.

An improved method of alignment for the laser doppler anemometer has been developed which greatly enhances its capabilities for the examination of the often very small scale complexities of three-dimensional flows. Unlike the alignment methods normally employed, which are subjective, this method is quantitative, using a pin-hole device to measure laser light intensity. This ‘pin-hole meter’ also enables the geometry of the laser beam configuration to be defined in situ and with greater facility and precision than previous methods. Examples are given which illustrate the enhanced capability of the system, the greatest improvement coming from the ability to operate in the difficult to achieve and sustain, off-axis mode of signal collection. With this mode, the improved procedures enable very small measurement volumes, typically 50 micron diameter, while maintaining high data rates, in measurements taken from distances compatible with accessing the flow from outside the windtunnel.

Conventional wisdom states that coordinate complete experimental response data are required to effect a successful model update. This paper examines the influence measured rotational degrees of freedom have on the behaviour of the frequency response function (FRF) sensitivity updating procedure. Three finite element (FE) model-based case studies are undertaken which suggest that very little improvement is afforded by the inclusion of measured rotations in the updating process.

Error-location strategies in the past have yielded little qualitative information about the optimum selection of updating parameters in the model updating procedure. Two further cases are investigated; these suggest that no amount of coordinate completeness will rectify the debilitating effects of an inadequate p-value choice. A method of selecting the number and location of updating parameters — based on the FRF sensitivity method — is presented. This method is shown to yield promising results.

Inverse dynamics is investigated as an efficient means of generating large angle satellite attitude slew manoeuvres. The required slew manoeuvres are specified using high order polynomials which result in a smooth control torque profile. Such smooth torque profiles are of importance in avoiding excitation of elastic modes of the satellite structure. In addition, the polynomial functions may be used to define a slew trajectory between arbitrary initial and final states allowing track-to-track manoeuvres. To compensate for uncertainties in the satellite dynamics, the inverse control is extended to include feedback linearisation about the nominal reference trajectory. It is shown that for rest-to-rest slew manoeuvres the resulting composite control is robust to uncertainties in the satellite inertia matrix and to actuator degradation. In addition, it is shown that complex paths may be generated through the use of high order polynomial functions which contain all the information required to enforce user defined constraints and boundary conditions in a compact, computationally efficient form.

The paper examines the influence on optimal structural designs of changing the design criteria and concepts for an unmanned air-vehicle wing, for both single and twin-spar rib configurations. The results indicate that the influence of such factors as panel buckling, aeroelastic efficiency, the number of design variables and the number of ribs can be significant. It is also shown that the best design is given by the twin-spar layout.

A method for the solution of the time dependent Euler equations on unstructured grids is presented for unsteady flows about oscillating aerofoils. The flow solver involves a finite volume spatial discretisation and a Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme. A dynamic mesh algorithm is used for problems where the aerofoil moves and/or deforms. Steady and unsteady results are obtained for single and multi-element aerofoils.