United Technologies Corporation

Ronald A Durno

Ari M Novis

Dean E Cooper

Michael J Ferranti

Rudolph F Huber

A helicopter programmable collective control system includes a motorized collective control stick 2 used in conjunction with a multi-axis control stick 30, with the multi-axis control stick 30 as the default collective controller. A collective control signal processor reads collective input the pilot is giving through one of the two control sticks 2, 30 and provides a motor drive signal 44 (which is dampened to prevent over control) to position the collective control stick 3. The collective control stick position is used to drive the rotor collective pitch actuators 16.

Programmable, linear collective control system for a helicopter

Helicopter tail rotor control system having a quadrant (18) with two flexible cables (20,22) wrapped around the quadrant surface in opposing directions and each attached to the quadrant at a point (42,60) opposite to initial contact of the cable with the quadrant, and spring extension (44, 62) from each cable passing around a pulley (46) and attached to the quadrant at a point on a radial line with the cable attachment.

Fail-safe tail rotor control system

To provide the pilot with the 'feel' that he is inadvertently moving his cyclic control stick from its midposition when the helicopter is on the ground, and thereby possibly changing the rotor plane from a safe to an unsafe position for ground personnel, a restraint member is provided which includes an over-center spring, and which may be pivoted from its stowed position into an operable position where it bears against the cyclic stick so midpositioned. The over-center spring thereof offers resistance to cyclic stick motion if the pilot inadvertently begins to move the stick forward or laterally of its midposition, but the spring biasing force can readily be overcome by the pilot by manually pushing the cyclic stick forward and thereby cause the restraint member to move to its stowed position.

Helicopter cyclic stick midposition feel indicator

A flight control system utilizing pilot actuated flexible cables to selectively move a control quadrant and utilizing balanced, preloaded springs connected to the quadrant to be selectively automatically releasable in response to cable severance so that the quadrant can be pilot actuated through its full control regime despite the severance of one of the cables.

Redundant flight control system

An analog mixer for a helicopter rotor control system mounted for tilting motion about a variable tilt axis and connected to the rotor control swashplate to cause synchronous tilting and including means to impart tilt generating control inputs to the analog mixer, and means to vary the position of the analog mixer tilt axis as a function of helicopter speed to thereby vary the phase angle of the helicopter rotor without imparting control inputs to the rotor control swashplate.

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Trumbull, CT, United States of America

Ronald A Durno