introduction of the mrh90 helicopter and top owl helmet for operational use by the royal australian...
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Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
MRH90 and TopOwl Navy Flight Trials
2010 AMMA/JHC Symposium
DR Glenn PascoeDR Glenn PascoeMBBS, FRACGP, DAvMedMBBS, FRACGP, DAvMed
Senior Medical Advisor Aviation Medicine Senior Medical Advisor Aviation Medicine –– NavyNavy
(Wing Commander, RAAFSR)(Wing Commander, RAAFSR)
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AcknowledgmentLCDR Brad MacKayChief of Flight Test, AMAFTU
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
• TopOwl Helmet
•AMAFTU MRH90 FOCFT
Scope
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MRH90• NHIndustries NH90
– Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) vs NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH)
• Troop lift (embarked and land based)• Fly by wire, retractable U/C, • Glass and carbon fibre composites• MTOW > SK50 • Rear loading ramp • Manual fold blades and tail pylon
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit
• AMAFTU– develop aircraft modifications – maintenance and operational procedures – evaluate through flight test new and
modified configurations, procedures and equipment
– ADF’s centre of expertise for ship/helicopter First of Class Flight Trials (FOCFT),
– Ship/Helicopter dynamic interface assessments (Embarked Flight Trials)
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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FOCFT Test – What is it?
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• Where the suitability of the ship / aircraft combination is assessed.
• Ship just as much as aircraft focused• Outputs not only limited to SHOL
– Maintenance & support facilities just as important
• Testing to define safe operational capability of ship / aircraft combination
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TopOwl helmet mounted sight and display system
• Valid engineering trade-offs:– Good: See through capability, mass, CG, – Bad: Hyperstereopsis, lower performance
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
Binocular Cues for Depth perception
• Stereopsis - Angle of disparity
• Accommodation
• Convergence
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Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
Hyperstereopsis
• An illusion created when each eye views an image from sensors with an interpupillary distance greater than that of the human eyes
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Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
Hyperstereopsis - Effects
• Absolute distance perception– Objects appear closer
Right I² Tube
Target pointReal
distance of object
in the scene
I² tube optical axes
Left I² Tube
D
Normal IPD
DD
Perceived distance of object
in the scene
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• Magnification of depth – objects appear stretched, out of shape
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
Hyperstereopsis - Effects
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• Overlapping objects – If enough light to see object unaided, NVD
image will be over-layed on real world image
– May see three objects instead of one
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Other TopOwl issues
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• Colour vision– ADF allows for slightly colour
defective aircrew applicants (CP2)– Optics of the TopOwl visor results
in effectively looking through a “green blocker” when visor is down
– Will CP2 pilots be safe?– Is reflected wavelength band
narrow enough to not be a problem?
– What about LED lights?
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Other TopOwl issues
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TopOwl and deck operations
• Compensation for visual distortion is necessary on initial exposure– Adaptation to absolute distance perception
occurs fairly rapidly (5hrs initially then 10- 20mins for re-adaptation)
– Adaptation to magnification of depth (‘arm stretch’ or slope perception) not complete
• USMC concluded that use of Top Owl was unacceptable for deck operations – Different aircraft
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Results of Testing – TopOwl
• AS350 trial: approximately 60hrs– Seated height appeared slightly lower than
normal– Different ‘apparent’ seated height unaided/aided:– Transition from aided to unaided flight
Unsatisfactory
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Results of MRH90 Testing – TopOwl
• MRH90 trial: approximately 10hrs work-up and 10 hrs at sea– Adaptation was Satisfactory
• Misjudged distance mitigated– Normal wheeled a/c landing technique
• Establish ROD during quiescent period and land firmly
– Height estimation assisted by RADALT– ACMN wearing ANVIS-9 NVD– Unfamiliar objects appear closer
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Results of MRH90 Testing – TopOwl
• Peripheral Cues– Enhancing feature– Allows peripheral scanning of a lit deck
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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FOCFT–Specifics of Flight Test
• Instrumentation• Deck Modelling
– deck motion limits with/without lashings
• Shore based testing– Initial TopOwl NVD flight testing in AS350– Low speed handling/ data collection– Simulated deck operations
• Sea Testing– Interface Testing– SHOL development
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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FOCFT – Specifics of Interface Testing
• Deck interface & facilities examples– Ranging & stowing aircraft– Folding / spreading– Maintenance & support facilities– Hanger suitability– Maintenance supervision– Aircrew briefing / mission planning– Weapons prep / loading aspects– Ship-based aviation facilities
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
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Results of MRH90 FOCFT
Headquarters Fleet Air Arm
• 18 days at sea• 19 Test Sorties• 252 Deck Landings (172 Day / 80 Night)• 36 Utility operations• Overall, Very Large Envelopes (SHOLs)• 4 Major deficiencies identified