Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Troy S Caudill

Shyhpyng Jack Shue

Kevin Thomas Christensen

William Anthony Amante

Robert Earl Worsham, Ii

Luke Dafydd Gillett

Joseph Daniel Leachman

Jeffery S Greenwood

Jeffery W Erwin

Jedediah Bryce Goodell

Adrienne Ruth Sullivan

Charles Eric Covington

Sung Kyun Kim

James M McCollough

Jillian Samantha Alfred

Christopher Michael Bothwell

Nicholas Lappos

Bradley Paul Regnier

Morganne Cody Klein

Robert Worsham

Stephanie Baynham

Thomas E Archer, Ii

James M Mccollough

Charles E Covington

Ii Archer Thomas E

Bradley Regnier

Robert Earl Worsham Ii

Luke Dafydd Gillet

Thomas E Archer Ii

In an embodiment, a method of indicating flight modes of a rotorcraft includes: detecting a change in flight mode of the rotorcraft from a previous flight mode to an active flight mode, the active flight mode and the previous flight mode each being from one of a first subset or a second subset of a plurality of flight modes; determining whether the active flight mode and the previous flight mode are from different subsets of the plurality of flight modes; and updating one or more flight mode indicators on an instrument panel of the rotorcraft in response to the active flight mode and the previous flight mode being from different subsets of the plurality of flight modes.

System and method for flight mode annunciation

An embodiment rotorcraft includes a rotor system including a plurality of blades; a control assembly operable to receive commands from a pilot; a flight control system (FCS), the flight control system operable to control flight of the rotorcraft by changing an operating condition of the rotor system; and a flight management system (FMS) in signal communication with the control assembly and the FCS. The FMS is operable to receive a target location and a plurality of approach parameters from the control assembly; generate a plurality waypoints between a current location of the rotorcraft and a missed approach point (MAP) based on the target location and the plurality of approach parameters; receive a command to engage in an approach maneuver from the control assembly; and in response to the command to engage in the approach maneuver, instruct the FCS to fly to the MAP.

System and method for rotorcraft offshore approach

A flight control system and method for controlling the vertical flight path of an aircraft, the flight control system includes a stable decoupled model having a decoupled lateral equation of motion and a decoupled longitudinal equation of motion and a feedback command loop operably associated with the stable decoupled model. The feedback command loop includes a vertical flight path angle control law; an altitude control law; and a vertical speed control law.

Flight control laws for vertical flight path

A system and method to control hovering flight of a rotary aircraft. The system including a lateral speed hold loop, a longitudinal loop, a vertical control loop, and a directional loop. The method includes defining a first flight envelope having a first groundspeed threshold; defining a second flight envelope having a second groundspeed threshold, the second flight envelope being defined within the first envelope; engaging a hover hold with a control law hover hold architecture as the aircraft enters the first flight envelope; and engaging a position hold with a control law position hold architecture as the aircraft enters the second flight envelope.

Flight control laws for automatic hover hold

A flight control system and method for controlling full envelope banked turns of an aircraft, the flight control system including one or more of a control law architectures having one or more control laws adapted for controlling the flight of an aircraft for full envelope banked turns.

Flight control laws for full envelope banked turns

According to one embodiment, a landing point indication system includes an image provider, a rotorcraft position provider, a pilot image generation system, and a display device. The image provider is operable to provide a visual representation of an area underneath a rotorcraft. The rotorcraft position provider is operable to provide information indicating a position of the rotorcraft. The pilot image generation system is operable to generate a supplemented visual representation. The supplemented visual representation includes the visual representation of the area underneath the aircraft and information indicating a position of the rotorcraft relative to the visual representation. The display device is operable to display the supplemented visual representation within the rotorcraft.

Landing point indication system

An aircraft and method to control flat yawing turns of the aircraft while maintaining a constant vector heading across a ground surface. The aircraft includes a control system in data communication with a model, a lateral control architecture, a longitudinal control architecture, and an initialization command logic. The model decouples the directional movement of the aircraft into a lateral equation of motion and a longitudinal equation of motion. The lateral control architecture utilizes the lateral equation of motion to control the aircraft in the lateral direction, while the longitudinal control architecture utilizes the longitudinal equation of motion to control the aircraft in the longitudinal direction. The initialization command logic selectively activates the lateral control architecture and the longitudinal control architecture.

Flight control laws for constant vector flat turns

Cockpit center console

Main cockpit control panel

An aircraft and method to control flat yawing turns of the aircraft while maintaining a constant vector across a ground surface. The aircraft includes a control system in data communication with control actuators, a lateral control architecture, a longitudinal control architecture, and an initialization command logic. The lateral control architecture controls the aircraft in the lateral direction, while the longitudinal control architecture controls the aircraft in the longitudinal direction. The initialization command logic automatically activates the lateral control architecture and the longitudinal control architecture to maintain a constant vector across the ground whenever a directional control input is made at low speed.

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Burleson, TX, United States of America

Troy S Caudill