Future US DOD Rotorcraft Development

[riff_raff]

Apparently, the DOD acquisition chief is getting serious about rebuilding the declining U.S. rotorcraft technology and manufacturing base:

Carter Orders Study of Vertical Lift Fleet Funding - Defense News (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4346316)

If you could grab Ashton Carter's ear, what would you recommend he spend his money and effort on?

[Shawn Coyle]

Low airspeed system to permit airspeed to be measured down to 5 knots from any direction. Needs to have minimum external presence (i.e. nothing hanging off the side of the machine)

The reason for this request is that this will allow much better understanding of local wind conditions and allow maximum use of performance.

Second wish is for a very small, inexpensive system to sense wires and towers that are a threat (doesn't need to be 360°, just in front half).

Many other things, like synthetic vision and the ability to make an instrument approach on the fly to anywhere have been demonstrated already.

[topendtorque]

Low airspeed system to permit airspeed to be measured down to 5 knots from any direction

I remember that Cap'n Nick Lappos put up a wish list some time ago for enthusiasts to contribute to the new age better helicopter.
In there I asked for very sensitive IAS measurement, but to be coupled to VRS stimuli -such as a better and very responsive VSI- as a warning device.

Never forget the hazards of calm winds, they say!

A heavy handed approach and a tight flare, with power appled to arrest it whilst descending into one's own downwash, in the new age helicopter should not produce a tightening sensation in the nether regions as the VSI starts to accelerate, but rather a horn blaring prior to the VSI movement. Maybe even a forward stick response prompting. Make sense?

In short I am all for giving those who don't have the luxury of good and well developed training a chance to live again with a simple detection and computation tool.

There are those who may have good reason to be pre-occupied with other tasks who might appreciate not have to divert flying skill or valuable time on basic flying survival around the common VRS problems when hovering or maneuvering around the tree tops.

At night it can be fairly simple as mechanical solar interferences are removed. But easy visual cues are also removed which might make it an easy and very useful tool for those conditions.
cheers tet

[Dave_Jackson]

If you could grab Ashton Carter's ear, what would you recommend he spend his money and effort on?
To create a program, perhaps with rewards, that will cause CEO to think more about long term corporate improvements and not short-term personal renumeration. To create a program, perhaps with rewards, that will cause conceptualists to think outside the box.

In other words, to think about potentially significant improvements to the basic functions of VTOL.

Examples being;
~ Active blade twist, so that the rotor can provide more thrust in all flight realms.
~ Root rotor-blade profiles and activities, so that rotorcraft can have a higher cruise speeds.
~ A means of allowing tilt-rotor disks to have large area and low disk loading during hover and small area with high disk loading during cruise.

Dave

[Graviman]

Anything which opens up the helicopter market more. So:

1. Whatever Shawn Coyle and Nick Lappos want (wire avoidance, CFIT avoidance, low speed indication etc).

2. Investigate cost effective rotor solutions for high natural stiffness blades, to minimise reduced g incidents in general purpose machines.

3. Fund further development of advancing blade technology into more general purpose high speed helicopters.

4. Develope general purpose control enhancements to allow safe operation in otherwise marginal environments. (eg cyclic and collective response for operation below V-H curve, in VRS, or when at torque limit). Let machine automatically react the way a well trained pilot would (like ABS does for cars etc).

5. Fund research and development into anything which reduces cost and improves performance of general aviation helicopters. The technology will become modular and scalable...

[riff_raff]

Dave Jackson and Graviman,

Under the JHL/JFTL program, Sikorsky received some funding for continued study work on their VDTR (Variable Diameter Tilt Rotor) concept, and Lockheed-Martin/Karem got money to study their OSTR (Optimum Speed Tilt Rotor) concept. The former uses a variable diameter rotor system to achieve both efficient, high forward flight speeds and excellent hover performance, while the latter uses an advanced rigid rotor and multi-speed transmission to do the same.

If Carter is successful in convincing congress and the Pentagon to continue funding these very promising efforts, you both may get what you want.

Regards,
riff_raff