@article{GENERAL,
      author = {Ward, C M},
      url = {http://library.imarest.org/record/7609},
      journal = {Conference Proceedings of INEC},
      title = {De-risking flight trials using airwake simulations},
      abstract = {Air operations around naval vessels are inherently  challenging and a major contributor to this is the  turbulent airflow around the vessels, colloquially known as  the airwake. To manage the risks associated with these  unsteady airflows and to help define safe operating limits  for the ship and the aircraft, the Royal Navy undertakes  First of Class Flight Trials (FOCFTs). However, these  trials inherently carry their own risks as well as being  costly and time consuming. This paper discusses how  Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been  used to de-risk flight trials and operations on the Queen  Elizabeth Class (QEC) carriers. The simulations are shown  to be in excellent agreement with full-scale LiDAR and  anemometer measurements, which provides the requisite  confidence to use them as a basis for  de-risking. <br>
 <br>
To de-risk the rotary wing  FOCFTs, the turbulence approach parameter was defined as a  proxy for pilot workload. It is shown that this parameter  can be used to identify the wind conditions that are likely  to be the most difficult for pilots, and to advise on  changes to the approach paths that would reduce pilot  workload. Test pilots were briefed with this airwake  information prior to the FOCFTs, and the flow features  identified in the CFD were found to be consistent with the  pilots’ experiences. In the future this analysis  could be used to reduce the time and cost associated with  flight trials, manage through-life risks, and assess the  impact of design decisions on the airwake during ship  design. The work has also been used to de-risk F-35 trials  and operations. In particular, the findings show that it  may be possible to extend the operating envelope of the  aircraft using a novel real-time system to predict airwake  turbulence. In addition, CFD simulations were used to  de-risk ondeck operations by ensuring that aircraft are  within their exposure limits when tied-down. This  information was used by the FOCFTs teams during rotary wing  trials.},
      number = {GENERAL},
      recid = {7609},
      address = {2018-10-03},
}