Further Development and Piloted Simulation Evaluation of the Break Turn ADS-33 Mission Task Element

Cofunded by the U.S. Army and industry, a Sikorsky-led team that features industry and academia developed and evaluated a set of mission task elements (MTE) to address rotorcraft high-speed handling qualities. The MTEs were designed to meet different levels of precision and aggressiveness. The Break Turn MTE was defined for nonprecision, aggressive applications. The MTE objectives, descriptions, and performance criteria were developed via piloted simulation sessions at each team's simulator, each featuring a unique high-speed platform including a coaxial compound helicopter, two tiltrotors, and a generic winged compound helicopter. Formal evaluations were conducted by U.S. Army test pilots. Baseline control laws were varied to achieve different handling qualities levels. Quantitative measures based on task performance and qualitative measures based on pilot ratings, comments, and questionnaires were used to assess MTE effectiveness. It was demonstrated that the Break Turn MTE provided an effective means to discern nonprecision, aggressive handling qualities in high-speed flight.