Desirable eigenstructure for good short-term helicopter handling qualities: The attitude command response case

Abstract

The eigenstructure necessary to achieve a good short-term attitude command response in a generic single-rotor helicopter is presented. It achieves appropriate mode decoupling and is consistent with the physical relationships between the state variables. This eigenstructure translates exactly into ideal transfer functions for use with a variety of control design methodologies. The paper discusses how such an eigenstructure is defined to satisfy the requirements of two important military rotorcraft specifications: US ADS 33 and UK DEF STAN 00970.