22-10-2012, 04:52 PM
Investigation of the Effectiveness of Dynamic Seat in a Black Hawk Flight Simulation
ABSTRACT
Low cost alternatives have been sought to provide motion cues in ground-based flight simulators to meet mission
objectives. The ability to provide high frequency vibrations makes the dynamic seat attractive to helicopter training
applications. Previous studies have found that dynamic seat does enhance the realism of the cockpit and affect pilots’
workload. This investigation, conducted under the auspices of the Joint Shipboard Helicopter Integration Process (JSHIP), is
using a three degree-of-freedom dynamic seat, i.e., heave, surge, and sway, with limited travels in a research simulator
configured as a UH-60 Black Hawk at NASAAmes Research Center. The seat’s effectiveness is studied using hover, landing,
pirouette, bob-up/bob-down, sidestep, and acceleration/deceleration maneuvers. Seat commands consist of constant vibrations
in heave and sway which provide the fundamental vibratory cues. Pilot station accelerations and collective controls provide
onset and sustained commands. In addition, transient effects due to translational-lift, collective; and normal acceleration are
produced by regulating the magnitude and frequency that depend on the rotor rpm. Results are compared to flight test data
and two other ground-based motion systems configurations, i.e., a motion condition with very large motion travels and a
motion condition that is comparable with commercial simulator travels. Both subjective and objective data will be analyzed
to determine the significance of the motion cueing effect in each system for selected maneuvers.