An approximate numerical mthod is presented for analysis and determination of modal characteristics in straight, pretwisted non-unifom helicopter blades. The analysis considers the coupled flapwise bending (out of plane), chordwise bending (in plane), and torsion vibration of both rotating and non-rotating blades. The proposed method is based on the integral expansion of Green functions (struct...

Helicopter aviation is a difficult task that requires simultaneous manipulation of several controls in order to achieve a desired movement. Development of knowledge and skills are required for a person to be able to safely and efficiently navigate a helicopter. Therefore, the question was raised on whether there is a possibility to develop a robust agent that will act as an intermediate between...

This paper presents a simple and efficient solution to vision guided autonomous landing of a light-weight (<150 Kg) unmanned helicopter on a smart landing platform, called ISLANDS—Intelligent Self-Leveling and Nodal Docking System. The advantage of ISLANDS is that it may allow the helicopter upon docking to recharge its batteries or refuel, thus, indirectly increasing endurance and flight range...

Current trends in the design of helicopter have shown that in order to be economically viable and competitive it is necessary to investigate new design concept which may give an improvement in performance and operational flexibility goal and expanding the flight envelope of rotorcraft, but must be shown to be costeffective. The helicopter has carved a niche for itself as an efficient vertical t...

We propose the use of a model helicopter to emulate the landing dynamics of a spacecraft. Our controller accepts thruster inputs (like those on a spacecraft) and converts them into appropriate helicopter stick controls such that the resulting trajectory of the helicopter is close to the trajectory that would have been achieved by simply providing the same thruster inputs to a spacecraft. The ap...

Medium helicopter armour concept is discussed. Basic analysis of armour configuration on helicopter fuselage is described. Important zones and requirements for their protection are analyzed as well. Aerodynamic characteristics of medium helicopter are obtained using numerical simulation and wind tunnel tests.

Autonomous helicopter flight is widely regarded to be a highly challenging control problem. This paper presents the first successful autonomous completion on a real RC helicopter of the following four aerobatic maneuvers: forward flip and sideways roll at low speed, tail-in funnel, and nose-in funnel. Our experimental results significantly extend the state of the art in autonomous helicopter fl...

Unsteady helicopter rotor aerodynamics are complicated. This paper reviews some of the fundamentals and newer developments of unsteady helicopter aerodynamics. Rotor flow is beautiful and complex. Visualizing rotor flow allows for an appreciation of the following theories and solution attempts as well as nature’s complexities. The flow through a helicopter rotor with forward motion is shown in ...

This paper deals with model predictive control (MPC) approach for a 2 DOF (degree of freedom) helicopter. The main objective is to stabilize beam of the 2DOF helicopter with respect to pitch and yaw angles. Development of controller for 2DOF helicopter is challenging because of its coupling effects between two axes and also due to its highly nonlinear characteristics. An accurate model of the s...

Nowadays, high levels of agility, maneuverability and capability of operating in reduced visual environments and adverse weather conditions are the new trends of helicopter design. Helicopter flight control systems should make these performance requirements achievable by improving tracking performance and disturbance rejection capability. Robustness is one of the critical issues which must be c...