SBIR-STTR Award

Inflight recovery or escape from a disable helicopter requires that the rotor blades not interfere with the orderly operation of the emergency system that will return the occupants safely to earth. the objective is to present a methodology for removal of the rotor blades in a controlled manner to eliminate their becoming a flying hazard to other aircraft in close proximity. this report presents a generic design for both blade removal and deceleration to delethalize their danger as free flying missiles. starting from a trade-off study of candidate concepts which takes into account complexity, cost, reliability, maintenance, and system safety factors, a generic design is proposed for accomplishing the objective

It is proposed as a result of the initial phase i study that a continuation of the project be approved in order to further develop and refine the operability, controllability and reliability of the blade decelerator subsystem. particular emphasis will be focused on design and performance refinement, retrofit, and integration onto an ah-1w helicopter. included in these efforts will be compatibility of the design to all modes of transport and service environments in all global conditions. the output of this work plan has been formulated to occur in a logical sequence of events. these events will refine and quantify the phase i methodology in addition to constructing a quality base of engineering and statistical data for future navy use. hardware fabrication and evaluation will provide hands-on articles to demonstrate system compatibility