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Helicopter slung-load operations are common in both military and civil contexts. Helicopters and loads are often qualified for these operations by means of flight tests, which can be expensive and time consuming. There is significant potential to reduce such costs both through revisions in flight-test methods and by using validated simulation models. To these ends, flight tests were conducted at Moffett Field to demonstrate the identification of key dynamic parameters during flight tests (aircraft stability margins and handling-qualities parameters, and load pendulum stability), and to accumulate a data base for simulation development and validation. The test aircraft was a UH-60A Black Hawk, and the primary test load was an instrumented 8- by 6- by 6-ft cargo container. Tests were focused on the lateral and longitudinal axes, which are the axes most affected by the load pendulum modes in the frequency range of interest for handling qualities; tests were conducted at airspeeds from hover to 80 knots. Using telemetered data, the dynamic parameters were evaluated in near real time after each test airspeed and before clearing the aircraft to the next test point. These computations were completed in under 1 min. A simulation model was implemented by integrating an advanced model of the UH-60A aerodynamics, dynamic equations for the two-body slung-load system, and load static aerodynamics obtained from wind-tunnel measurements. Comparisons with flight data for the helicopter alone and with a slung load showed good overall agreement for all parameters and test points; however, unmodeled secondary dynamic losses around 2 Hz were found in the helicopter model and they resulted in conservative stability margin estimates. RTOP 581-30-22 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This paper describes a flight test demonstration of a system for identification of the stability and handling qualities parameters of a helicopter-slung load configuration simultaneously with flight testing, and the results obtained.Tests were conducted with a UH-60A Black Hawk at speeds from hover to 80 kts. The principal test load was an instrumented 8 x 6 x 6 ft cargo container. The identification used frequency domain analysis in the frequency range to 2 Hz, and focussed on the longitudinal and lateral control axes since these are the axes most affected by the load pendulum modes in the frequency range of interest for handling qualities. Results were computed for stability margins, handling qualities parameters and load pendulum stability. The computations took an average of 4 minutes before clearing the aircraft to the next test point. Important reductions in handling qualities were computed in some cases, depending, on control axis and load-slung combination. A database, including load dynamics measurements, was accumulated for subsequent simulation development and validation. RTOP 581-30-22 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.