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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0265.PDF
Heli With safety nm a major selling point irfrotcf<!faft design, developments such as air bags and GPS tracking have plaqttbe focus on maximisih|tervivability jathef thaiifninimising ris •ANDREW HEALEY7 LONDON Aconventional helicopter can only fly so fast and hover so high. While performance can be tweaked, and hybrids like the tiltrotor can expand the envelope substantially, designers of new-generation rotorcraft have to look elsewhere for that elusive edge. There is still room for signifi cant improvement in helicopter safety, both in preventing accidents and making acci dents survivable. Crashworthiness, occu pant protection and the location of downed aircraft are all areas where improvements are being made. It is no longer a question of simply min imising the risk of an accident, but of max imising the chances of surviving one. The latest helicopters incorporate new levels of crashworthiness made possible by ad vances in computer modelling. Air bags promise to protect both crew and passen gers in a crash, and satellite-based position monitoring can help locate a downed air craft quickly and accurately. Work is also under way to make safety-critical systems, such as flight controls, more survivable. Design of the Bell/Agusta Aerospace AB139 commercial helicopter, scheduled for certification later this year, incorporates lessons learned on three key European mil- 50 4-10 FEBRUARY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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