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HEIGHT – VELOCITY CURVE AND STRECHING THE GLIDE

INTRODUCTION

1. The helicopter is an extremely versatile machine. It can take off and land from
unprepared and restricted areas. It can fly low at the desired speed making it an ideal platform
search and rescue operations. Also, in the event of an engine failure the helicopter has a chance
of making a safe landing provided sufficient clear space is available.

2. In order to carry out a safe recovery there is a requirement of executing the autorotation
and recovery maneuver by clever management of the helicopter energy. However, there is a
minimum height and speed combination, below which a safe recovery cannot be guaranteed. The
graph which gives this combination of height and speed is called as the “Deadman’s Curve” or
“Height –Velocity diagram”.

AIM

3. The aim of this paper is to study the Deadman’s Curve with reference to a typical
Helicopter and discuss the factors which influence the shape of this curve and the methods of
stretching the glide during autorotation.

COPING WITH POWER FAILURE

Stages of autorotation

Entry to autorotation: One of the reason of not making a good autorotative landing is failure to
enter into autorotation or delay in entry, which causes the main rotor rpm to die down at very fast
rate below minimum safe rotor rpm. As you all remember it is main rotor rpm which determines
the coning angle and effectiveness of tail rotor. The reason for rpm decay is that when the
engine fails the rotor will stops feeding power and rotor begin to feed its own energy. The
various factors in determining how fast the rpm would decay are as follows:

a. Collective pitch setting


b. Flight condition
c. AUW
d. Inertia

Steady autorotation: It is that condition of flight in which the rotors are driven purely by the
ROD air flow and rotor drag acts as the autorotative force. This autorotative force is enough to
satisfy for the power requirements of autorotative flight. The minimum ROD occurs at speed for
minimum power on the level flight power required curve. However it is prudent to autorotative
5 to 10 kts faster than the bucket speed. This is to cater for extra margin of kinetic energy
available for increasing main rotor rpm during the landing flare.

Flare and recovery: While helicopter descends at the lowest ROD in a steady auto, it still has lot
of energy, which a pilot has to mange by carefully flaring the aircraft so as to convert this energy
to zero just before touchdown. All this while the rotor rpm has to remain within limits. Now let
us look at a power failure sequence so as to see exactly what happens.

THE HEIGHT–VELOCITY OR DEADMAN’S CURVE

How much ever skilled the pilot is in carrying out successful auto and manipulating the
energies both while entering into and flare from auto, there are still some combination of height
and speed from which the aircraft will surely crash. The diagram which illustrates this regime is
called dead man’s curve or height–velocity curve.

Along the boundary of the curve the pilot should be able to do the right thing at right time
to safely execute an autorotative landing. But from inside the curve (avoid area) various degree
of damage is bound to occur. Let take a closer look at various height speed combinations.

5. This curve is dynamic in shape and the ‘avoid’ area will changes from time to time
depending upon the phase of flight. However the curve is plotted for a particular set of
parameters and also considering the pilot reaction time in recognizing the situation which is
normally a second. For example the base parameters for a chetak helicopter are altitude of sea
level, collective pitch of 0.80, and in level flight.

4. A typical curve is illustrated in Fig 1. The curve consists of two distinct parts. The Low
speed and the high speed segments.

The low speed segment : The low speed segment basically gives the minimum safe speed at
a particular height. Up to a certain height the minimum safe speed increases as one goes away
from the ground and beyond a particular height and speed called the knee speed, the speed
reduces as the pilot has the option of trading the height for speed by diving. Taking a closer
look, we see that several definite points define the curve.

(a) Low hover height At this height a power failure can be handled by coming straight
down and using collective pitch to cushion the landing as the rotor rpm drops. Above
this height either the rotor rpm will drop very drastically and stall if the collective pitch is
not reduced or it will cause hard landing. The low hover height can be raised by
following methods:
i) Decrease the power required to hover
ii) Increase the rotor inertia
iii) Increase the blade area
iv) Increase the capability of landing gear to absorb the shock.

(b) High hover height The dangerous regime of hover altitude runs up till the high
hover altitude. Above the low hover ht a minimum forward speed is require to execute a
safe landing. With increase in height the minimum forward speed required will continue
to increase up to the Knee of the curve. Any further increase in height the minimum
forward speed will reduce. At the high hover height a helicopter can maintain zero speed.
At this point there is enough altitude to make a diving transition into forward flight
autorotation and execute a safe flare and recovery. However, one thing must be kept in
mind that during hover OGE, the helicopter is hovering at high collective pitch.
Therefore, engine failure should be realized without any undue delay of time or in other
words reaction time reduces drastically. Blades will stall early and also the rpm will
reduce fast. The collective should be lowered immediately so as to maintain the rotor
rpm and initiate the downward motion to get into autorotation. The second aim should be
to build up forward speed. Even though the transfer of energy is not 100 % but it will
help in reducing power required. The primary objective should be making a landing in
level attitude to allow the landing gear and fuselage and the belly absorb the max impact.
To achieve this, one should take actions same as he would take outside the curve at the
same speeds i.e lower collective try gain forward speed and make cyclic fare and
recovery. In case the rotor thrust still remain low after lowering collective and push over
to increase speed, the flare characteristic and handling of aircraft will be degraded due to
low control power. The impact will be on the landing gear. In the shaded area, we should
try to achieve the desired flight condition so as to reduce the power required and have
best combination of forward flight and ROD. A power failure at speeds greater than the
knee speed or in forward flight should be survivable at any altitude except possibly right
next to ground.

The high speed segment : This segment gives the, close to ground, maximum safe speed at a
particular height. In this segment any speed in excess of the maximum speed dictated by the
curve is considered unsafe. Herein, the reaction time available to the pilot is less to reduce the
forward speed and bring the helicopter to the right attitude for touchdown. This will result in the
tail striking the ground first.

Hover Ht

Fig 1
Factors affecting Deadman’s curve

10. The Deadman’s curve for a helicopter is plotted for a given set conditions as discussed
earlier. Any deviation from these set conditions, the shape of the curve will change. The factors
affecting the curve are as listed below.

(a) Gross Weight of the helicopter : The gross weight of the helicopter has multi
pronged effect on the shape of the curve as it will decide the collective pitch for a
particular weight and speed. Also after the engine fails the collective pitch held will
decide the rate of decay of rotor rpm before the collective is lowered. When the
helicopter is being flared, the rate of decay of rpm while cushioning the touchdown by
using the collective will also vary with the gross weight of the helicopter. Thus with
increase in weight the curve will expand in size directly.

(b) Density Altitude : The effect of density altitude will be closely similar to the
effect of weight. Any increase in density altitude will manifest itself as if the weight of
the helicopter has increased and vice versa.

(c) Stage of Flight ( Climbing, Descending or Level ) : The stage of flight will
also affect the rate of decay of rotor rpm. If we have an engine failure while we are
autorotating then we need not face the gory sight of our rotor rpm winding down in air
because we would already be in the best possible state of flight to recover the
helicopter. This would mean that when the helicopter is in a descent it is very close to this
ideal state of flight to be able to recover from an engine failure, and hence in this case the
Deadman’s curve will shrink in size. The case will be worsened if we are in a climb.
Even if the pilot is prompt in lowering the collective, the rotor will take some time to
establish itself into autorotation. Till then the rpm will decay as if the collective has not
been lowered. Of course this rate of decay will be much lesser than the case where the
collective is not lowered at all.

11. Though the effect of individual factors on the shape of the curve is evident from the
above paragraphs, the actual effect will depend on the combination of all factors prevailing at
that point of time. There is no thumb rule available in the field to estimate this effect individually
or collectively, although the effect and the resulting curve may be computed accurately after a
detailed study.

Deadman’s curve for a multiengine Helicopter :

12. The number of engines will have a major effect on the size of the curve. As single engine
power in most twin engine helicopters is insufficient to completely eliminate the unsafe region
but it can shrink considerably. It also produces another boundary out of which the helicopter
does not have to land and can fly away on the remaining power as shown in fig 1.2.
Fig 2

Methods to reduce the size of Deadman’s curve :

13. Following methods can be employed to reduce the size of the curve

(a) Increase the number of blades.


(b) Increase the blade area.
(c) Strong undercarriage.
(d) Crashworthy seats.
(e) Have more than one engine.
(f) High inertia rotors. As a thumb rule the kinetic energy is stored in rotor at normal
rpm can supply the power required to hover for at least 1 and half second before
the rotor rpm decays below point of recovery. Tests are being conducted by
adding extra tip weight so that time can be increased to three and half seconds and
the unsafe region can completely eliminated.
(g) Stand by Tip Rockets or high speed fly wheel for short duration.

14. Saving RPM The objective of energy management in this situation to keep the rotor
speed as long possible to be used during flare to develop thrust to cushion landing. There are two
reserves one being the potential energy corresponding to the height and other being the kinetic
energy corresponding to forward speed. It requires quick pilot reaction to bring on line these
reserves before the rotor rpm reduces below the minimum value where the rotor would stall if
asked to produce rotor thrust equal to the weight of the helicopter.

Fig 5

The Crash situation :

15. If at all engine failure occurs within the Deadman’s curve the pilot should aim to
touchdown in level attitude and use the available collective at the last moment to get as much
thrust as the rotor can develop before it stalls. Thus while passing through the Deadman’s curve,
all pilots should avoid excessive nose down attitudes.

STRETCHING THE GLIDE

16. It would rarely happen that an engine fails at most convenient time and place. For this
reason it becomes imperative to execute the autorotation and flare correctly in most efficient
manner such that, either we should be able to gain on time for executing relight or be able to
stretch the glide to distant landing spot. Now in an auto we can only play with two things i.e.
forward speed and main rotor rpm.

17. The right forward speed For helicopters of given weight the best forward speed can be
determined from the power required curve to maintain level flight. The power required for
autorotation is almost same as in level flight. The power instead of coming from the engine is
coming from the rotor due to ROD flow. The speed for maximum glide distance is higher than
the endurance speed. It is where the ratio of forward speed to power is max where a line from
origin is tangent to the power-required curve.
Fig 3

18. The right RPM Beside the optimum forward speed there is also optimum autorotative
rotor speed that can be used to stretch the glide. This is the speed at which most blade elements
are operating at the best lift to drag ratios. Decrease of rotor rpm too much to increase glide
endurance can reverse the trend as below this optimum speed the rate of descent will increase
and may also invite the blade stall and vibration. Whether to increase or decrease rpm to stretch
the glide depends upon the lot of factors such as AUW, density altitude. If at all the pilot decides
to maintain the low main rotor rpm he would need to get his rpm back prior to flare and recovery
so as to carry out good landing. In principle each power on flight has also a unique optimum
rotor rpm. But designers are reluctant to give the pilot too much of choice in this matter mainly
because they have taken lots of trouble in sorting out problems of vibrations and resonance at
design speeds. Continued operation outside the range specified could lead to high vibration and
component fatigue. The relaxation can be allowed if it would mean difference between carrying
out jet smooth landing into trees or vibrating landing in a distant clearing.
Fig 4

CONCLUSION

19. The Deadman’s curve is dynamic in shape and it changes with weight, density altitude
and stage of flight. The curve mentioned in the flight manuals holds good only for a particular
configuration of the helicopter. Any increase in weight or density altitude causes the curve to
expand and vice versa. The curve expands in a climb and reduces in a descent. As true
professional one needs to understand the intricacies of the curve and use them to fly the machine
at its peak performance, safely. Though aviation is a vast subject and each definition could be a
topic of lifelong study, we should strive to read between the lines and not miss the woods for the
trees.

Many pilots think that if you breach the boundaries of the Dead Man’s Curve, you will surely die!
Breach all you like. Your life expectance only reduces when the engine quits. There are many
examples of pilots saving themselves, their crew, passengers, or helicopters following a brush with the
Dead Man’s Curve. This was sometimes accomplished through admirable skill and contemplation of the
unexpected, but too often through nothing but blind luck. Our best options are to always look for
better alternatives when flying inside the H/V Diagram and to continuously correctly justify why we
are making the decisions that put us in that position. If we decide that there is no better and safer
alternative, we had best be sure that we know the capabilities of our helicopter chosen for a specific
job and that we are sufficiently trained, qualified, and experienced to handle an engine failure from
inside the Dead Man’s Curve.

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