Exposing Rotorcraft Pilot Couplings using Flight Simulation

Unmasking Aircraft and Rotorcraft Pilot Couplings (A/RPC) prior to vehicle entry into service has been a long standing challenge in the aerospace industry. A/RPCs, often only exposed through unpredictable or very specific circumstances have arisen throughout the history of manned powered flight, and have required short-term ‘fixes’ to ensure system safety. One of the reasons for this occurrence is the lack of detailed practice regarding the prediction and detection of RPCs prior to full-scale testing. Often in simulation, A/RPCs are only investigated once problems have been experienced during other qualification activities. This is a particular issue for the rotorcraft community, where system sophistication is ‘catching up’ with their fixed-wing counterparts. This paper shares results from real-time simulation campaigns conducted during the European Collaborative ARISTOTEL project. Results are included from tests, conducted in full motion simulators, specifically designed to unmask Rigid Body and Aeroelastic RPC tendencies. Results from this paper act as guidelines for exposing RPCs in real-time simulation campaigns. This includes the introduction of novel test procedures and analysis methods.