The Handling Qualities Assessment of Novel Personal Air Vehicle Systems

Abstract

There is a requirement for rigorous analytical tools that can be used to analyse the flying and handling qualities deficiencies of novel personal-air-vehicles (PAV), prior to experimental flight testing. In more recent years, ground-based simulation has become a critical component of aircraft-level design and a core requirement of the procuring activity. For small footprint, personal, air-vehicle systems the analysis of pilot workload has often relied, exclusively, on pilot-in-the-loop flight test and full immersion simulation experiments. In order to facilitate the preliminary stages of aircraft design there is need for an off-line, quantitative, rating method that can be brought to bear in the absence of an adequate pilot representation. The prediction of aircraft handling qualities is complicated, however, by the need to accurately assess pilot effort. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the control design and handling qualities of a manually controlled, novel, PAV. The handling qualities of the vehicle are assessed, first by reference to the Rotorcraft Aeronautical Design Standard (ADS33-E-PRF), then by pilot/vehicle analysis using models of pursuit, compensatory, and regressive human pilot behaviour. In the latter case, handling qualities levels, pilot-induced oscillation rating levels, and tracking performance are predicted. Consideration is given to both linear and nonlinear pilot/vehicle behaviour. Approximate bounds on the off-nominal linear vehicle model stability derivatives are explored and the expected operational and service flights envelope, temporal and corridor constraints examined. Finally, validation of the proposed pilot modelling techniques and rating criterion are presented, and the use of traditional rotary and fixed-wing HQ rating boundaries are examined with application to a prototype, rotary-wing PAV system. The research work presented in this dissertation provides a means of (1) identifying the feasible design space of a unique aircraft based upon predicted and expected levels of handling qualities and performance, and (2) determining compliance with both civil and (where required) military requirements for manned operation of PAV systems. 2 The research presented may provide a useful template for assessing the handling qualities of more novel, personal air-vehicle concepts prior to pilot-in-the-loop simulation or flight testing.