Implementierung und Evaluation von Cockpitanzeigen zur Pilotenassistenz während der Hubschrauberluftbetankung

Abstract

Air-to-air refueling is an essential operational mean of increasing flight duration and range of helicopters. However, not only the narrow proximity of the two aircraft during the procedure imposes a great workload on the helicopter pilots. Within the framework of the current Future Air-to-Air Refueling project of the German Aerospace Center, technical aids to support helicopter pilots during air-to-air refueling are being investigated. The overall objective is to fully automate the procedure. Within the scope of this work, a first approach of a possible aid was evaluated by using the head-down display in the helicopter cockpit. For this purpose, an already existing display concept was developed and implemented into the Air Vehicle Simulator of the German Aerospace Center in Braunschweig, Germany. During subsequent studies with test pilots, the resulting workload was measured and evaluated. In principle, the test showed a benefit of the displays during the refueling procedure. The displays calculate the most important information and summarize it in one view, thus eliminating the need for the helicopter pilots to estimate or interpret the information manually. However, the resulting reduction in workload is mitigated to some extent by the regular change in focus between the head-down display and the direct view outside the cockpit.