University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2002 An Investigation of the Effects of Relative Winds Over the Deck on the MH-60S Helicopter During Shipboard Launch and Recovery Operations Dominick J. Strada University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Aerospace Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Strada, Dominick J., "An Investigation of the Effects of Relative Winds Over the Deck on the MH-60S Helicopter During Shipboard Launch and Recovery Operations. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2002. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2170 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Dominick J. Strada entitled "An Investigation of the Effects of Relative Winds Over the Deck on the MH-60S Helicopter During Shipboard Launch and Recovery Operations." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Aviation Systems. Fred Stellar, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Ralph Kimberlin, U. Peter Solies Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Dominick J. Strada entitled “An Investigation of the Effects of Relative Winds Over the Deck on the MH-60S Helicopter During Shipboard Launch and Recovery Operations.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science, with a major in Aviation Systems. Fred Stellar Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Ralph Kimberlin U. Peter Solies Acceptance for the Council: Dr. Anne Mayhew Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies (Original signatures are on file in the Graduate Student Services Office.) AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF RELATIVE WINDS OVER THE DECK ON THE MH-60S HELICOPTER DURING SHIPBOARD LAUNCH AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS A Thesis Presented for the Master of Science Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Dominick Joseph Strada May 2002 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to God, The Omnipotent Creator, and The Provider of all that I have; and to my tremendous family, without whom I am incomplete: my wife, Brandi Strada, the love of my life, and my tremendous sons, Dominick Gabriel and Nicholas Raphael. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank all those who have contributed to my success in the pursuit of this Master of Science Degree. I would like to begin by thanking all those at United States Naval Test Pilot School, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland who provided me with the background and education upon which I depended during my tour as a developmental test pilot at Naval Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Squadron. In particular, I would like to thank those instructors who gave me a real appreciation for helicopter performance, aerodynamics and handling qualities, Mr. J. J. McCue, Mr. Mike Mosier, and Mr. Lee Khinoo, respectively. I would like to thank the engineers at Naval Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Squadron, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, with whom I worked very closely during the developmental testing of the MH-60S helicopter. It was a tremendous experience made possible and successful by the participation and leadership of the following people: Mr. Bob Riser, MH-60S Project Engineer and Team Leader; Mr. Lew Fromhart, Project Aerodynamicist; Mr. John Petz, Project Propulsion Engineer and H-60 expert; Mr. Ben Johnson, Project System Safety Engineer; Mr. Tim Gowen, helicopter aerodynamicist and handling qualities expert; Mrs. Amy Hunger, Dynamic Interface Engineer; and Mr. Joe Furgeson, Dynamic Interface Engineer. I would like to thank Mrs. Sharon Kane at the University of Tennessee campus in Patuxent River, Maryland for her tremendous assistance in the completion of this project over 3 years and several thousand miles. iii I would like to thank those at the University of Tennessee who made this possible: my Thesis Advisor, Mr. Fred Stellar for his guidance in preparing my thesis and my defense; Dr. Ralph Kimberline and Dr. Peter Solies, members of my thesis defense committee; Mrs. Betsy Harbin for her assistance with the thesis process; and Mrs. Heather Doncaster for her formatting assistance. Finally, I would like to acknowledge and extend my gratitude to my perfect family for their exceptional patience during the completion of this degree on my own time, which was really on my family’s own time. iv ABSTRACT Vertical replenishment (VERTREP) of underway fleet naval vessels by helicopter is the primary mission of the MH-60S helicopter and is absolutely critical to sustaining fleet combat readiness at sea. The effectiveness of the MH- 60S helicopter in conducting this crucial mission is directly dependent upon its ability to launch from and recover to the delivery ship under a wide range of wind-over-deck (WOD) conditions. This thesis is an investigation of the effects of relative winds over the deck on the MH-60S helicopter documented during shipboard launch and recovery operations conducted during the initial MH-60S shipboard testing and launch and recovery wind envelope development. The investigation involved the calculated variation of relative wind-over-deck speed and direction during shipboard launch and recovery evolutions. Effects of the relative winds over the deck on the helicopter during launch and recovery were quantified using pilot rating scales, designed to permit the brief yet accurate characterization of aircraft handling qualities and pilot workload. Build-up flight test techniques were used to mitigate the risk associated with shipboard launch and recovery wind envelope development. This investigation yielded a satisfactory characterization of the handling qualities of the MH-60S helicopter aboard three different classes of naval vessels. Additionally, it resulted in the establishment of relatively large and operationally flexible launch and recovery wind envelopes for each of these classes of ship, all v of which are recommended for employment by the fleet upon introduction of the helicopter. The investigation also yielded four unsatisfactory pilot-vehicle interface (PVI) deficiencies pertinent to operating the MH-60S helicopter aboard ship. They were related to extremely limited forward field of view (FOV), excessive cockpit vibrations, aft location of the tail wheel, and hazardous strength of the main rotor down wash. It is the opinion of this author that much can be done to make the immense task of initially qualifying a new helicopter for operations aboard all classes of naval ship safer, and more economical, efficient and logical. It is also the position of this author that this initial MH-60S shipboard test effort did not satisfactorily leverage the massive amount of knowledge pertinent to such an endeavor that currently exists in government, military, civilian and academic institutions of the world interested in this field of study. If U. S. Navy launch and recovery wind envelope development is to succeed at truly maximizing the shipboard operational capability of a helicopter, more must be done to leverage the tremendous technological advances being made in this and related fields of study, and to employ data already gathered by institutions conducting similar testing. vi PREFACE The shipboard testing and qualification of a particular helicopter aboard the various classes of ship in the U. S. Navy, is a monumental effort that can span the two to three decades that typically constitute such a helicopter’s entire service life. The most significant goal of such a test effort is the development of wind- over-deck envelopes that permit launch from and recovery to the flight deck in as many wind-over-deck conditions as are safely possible. This testing, designed to maximize the shipboard operational capability of a helicopter, can be extremely hazardous. The inherent risk in this process is mitigated by the employment of logical and proven risk mitigation techniques, which ensure that the edge of a safe operating envelope can be safely located, without compromising airframe or structural limitations, and without unnecessarily constraining operational fleet employment of the involved aircraft. Developmental shipboard testing is a safe and methodical, successful and exciting effort. This thesis details the initial launch and recovery wind envelope development testing that was recently conducted for the newest of the U. S. Navy’s helicopters, the MH-60S Sea Hawk. This initial shipboard effort was designed to investigate the effects of relative winds over the deck on the helicopter while aboard three of the first classes of ship upon which it will deploy. As the testing continues, MH- 60S launch and recovery wind envelopes will eventually be developed for all classes of naval ship. vii Most of the information