Thu, Aug 25, 2011
Some Black Hawk Helos Now Equipped With Electronic
Interface
In use in other Defense Department aircraft for years,
fly-by-wire has replaced the conventional manual flight controls in
some Black Hawk helicopters. The electronic interface technology
can automatically perform functions without input from the pilot,
such as systems that automatically stabilize the aircraft. "The
fly-by-wire variant of the UH-60M Black Hawk offers increased
handling capability, lower maintenance burden, decreased pilot work
load, and full-authority digital engine control," said Army Maj.
Jeffrey Stvan, assistant program manager UH-60 Modernization.
File Photo
This technology greatly decreases the workload of the pilots,
allowing them to focus on their surroundings and reduce fatigue, by
permitting them to better control the loads. "Fly-by-wire offers
increased handling capabilities and decreased pilot workload. This
allows the pilot to focus on his current mission," Stvan said. "One
aim of the fly-by-wire system is to allow the pilot to keep more of
his concentration outside the cockpit and on his surrounding
environment."
Maj. Carl Ott, an Army experimental test pilot for the Aviation
and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center's
Aeroflightdyanmics Directorate at Moffett Field, Calif., has done
testing for the Utility Project Office and Sikorsky, involving
fly-by-wire technology. He said fly-by-wire technology is geared
toward making the aircraft highly stable and more predictable.
This technology will also help troops on the ground, when a
pilot can focus more on the surroundings and efficiently making
deliveries and place payloads that will be a great advantage. "The
fly-by-wire is an enabling technology that will allow for more
advanced, adaptive, flight controls and sensors to be integrated
into a helicopter making them easier and safer to fly," Ott
said.
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