Prediction of Rotorcraft Design Impacts on Maneuverability Characteristics

Abstract

Designing for helicopter missions requires maneuverability characteristics to be determined. These required maneuverability analyses are combinatorial in nature and involve human interaction, which hinders their integration into conceptual design. To address this issue, a model formulation is presented that includes the necessary quantitative measures to analyze the operational envelope and captures the impact of changing requirements in real time. Through quantitative analysis of the pop-up maneuver space, this formulation is shown to provide a more conservative estimate of maneuverability than traditional energy-based formulations commonly used in early design studies.