Evaluating the effect of frigate hangar shape modifications on helicopter recovery using piloted flight simulation

Turbulent ship airwakes can present a major challenge for a pilot landing a helicopter to the ship. A recent study has proposed modifications to the hangar of a simple ship, the SFS2, to improve the air flow over the deck. To assess the effect of the proposed hangar modification on the helicopter and pilot, the unsteady air flow over the modified ship has been computed using time-accurate CFD, and then integrated with a full-motion flight simulator for a pilot to conduct deck landings to the original and modified ship geometries in wind speeds from 30 kt to 50 kt. The effectiveness of the proposed modification was assessed through pilot workload ratings for the landing task, and by recording pilot control inputs and helicopter states. The study has shown that there are some benefits from the hangar modifications. In the headwind the helicopter was deemed to be at the safe limit at 50 kt when operating to the original SFS2, while the limit was not reached in the 50 kt wind for the modified ship. In an oblique wind, the safe wind speed limit was found to be 40 kt for the original ship and 50 kt for the modified version. Although the improvements are not substantial, they do represent a positive outcome.