In Germany, a flight simulator for future pilots of helicopters and other vertical take-off aircraft has recently been developed. This software is able to reproduce difficult conditions that pilots are sometimes likely to encounter in their job.
Helicopter pilots are able to land and take off in spaces that are sometimes restricted or to which access is complicated, such as in an urban environment, at sea or in high mountains. During their training, their training is specific and includes trial phases in real situations.
However, for Juergen Rauleder from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), “Conventional training is expensive, risky and very stressful for student pilots. It also imposes heavy demands on the aircraft: the first attempts generally result in rather hard landings, the shock absorbers and the landing gear absorb violent shocks. »
Thus, in order to avoid accidents, premature wear of the aircraft as well as negative stress felt by the student pilots, Juergen Rauleder and his team have created a simulator reproducing in real time the maneuvering conditions which vary according to the situations. The software reproduces the changing parameters of the device as well as the dynamics of the winds in situations such as landing on a moving boat or when approaching large constructions.
The researchers provided the software for many flight parameters using data obtained from the German aerospace center, the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), which published a full report (PDF in English, 13 pages). The data collected relate to the air flows recorded by numerous sensors located on moving ships, as well as on buildings.
“Our model is extremely flexible and does not depend on stored data. We only have to enter the external conditions such as the topography, the wind speed and the type of helicopter. During the simulation, our algorithms use this data to calculate the airflow field and its interactions with the virtual helicopter,” says Juergen Rauleder.
While the first versions of the software were demonstrated this year, it is currently being validated by piloting experts and is the subject of great interest from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).
Sources: The Engineer — Sciences et Avenir