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Visualisation of the brownout phenomenon, integration and test on a helicopter flight simulator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

T. Gerlach
T. Gerlach*
Affiliation:
Institute of Flight Systems, Department of Flight Dynamics and Simulation, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Braunschweig, Germany
*
torsten.gerlach@dlr.de
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Abstract

Flying under degraded visual environments is a challenging task in helicopter operations. The brownout phenomenon, caused by the rotor downwash on a dusty or sandy underground has caused several critical incidences and accidents in the past. In contrast to an extensive free wake analysis of the rotor vortices, this paper presents a computer graphical solution to simulate brownout conditions. The animation approach builds upon a particle system with a basic aerodynamic assumption of a permanent ground vortex and additional turbulence. The created brownout effect module is a part of the RealTime Image Generator software, used in DLR’s ground based helicopter flight simulator. The object oriented structure of the underlying application programming interface OpenSceneGraph facilitates the development of a generic effect interface for future improvements. An overview of the developed module, the particle system engine and the physical dependencies is provided. To overcome the challenge of capturing the visual realism, a pilot test course with brownout typical tasks is presented. Criteria focussing on the visual and physical parameters are defined to build up a questionnaire. It is used to improve the visual standard and to meet the future pilot’s needs.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 115 , Issue 1163 , January 2011 , pp. 57 - 63
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2011 

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