The Bell 525 Relentless Fly-by-Wire Technology Sets the New Standard in Commercial Helicopter Control

The Bell 525 Relentless Fly-by-Wire Technology Sets the New Standard in Commercial Helicopter Control

21-Aug-2014 Source: Bell

The Bell 525 Relentless is ready to revolutionize the helicopter industry as the world’s first fly-by-wire (FBW) commercial helicopter. Thanks to years of experience developing fly-by-wire systems, Bell Helicopter has channeled this expertise into creating a new standard for pilot controls. FBW technology replaces the traditional manual flight controls with a digital interface that provides a level of control previously unseen in a commercial helicopter.

“When we started designing the Bell 525, our customer advisory panel really stressed the need for a flying experience that’s safer, easier and more repeatable,” said Matt Hasik, senior vice president of commercial programs at Bell Helicopter. “We can design a product with class-leading speed, range, and a host of product features, but the real focus of the Bell 525 was to make a step-function improvement in capability for the pilot, enabling him/her to manage every aspect of flight in the cockpit with a new level of awareness and control.”

Make It Safe
The Bell 525 Relentless leverages a triply-redundant flight control system to maximize safety and control. Pilot inputs are electronically transmitted and processed by the flight control computers. With three flight control computers and triplex electro-hydraulic actuators, the digital FBW control system provides full-authority stability, control and guidance, offering reduced pilot workload in pitch, roll, yaw and lateral and vertical motion.

In fact, the FBW system can actually determine an intelligent and informed aircraft response in a number of situations. It can automatically adjust commands to maximize flying precision and performance, resulting in a controlled, predictable response. Pilots can easily maintain flight conditions and make smooth transitions between conditions without being distracted from other key aspects of the cockpit. For example, if an engine loses power or an autorotation is needed, the aircraft can sense the situation and adjust instantaneously while the pilot begins to take appropriate action.

Make It Easy
Fly-by-wire also makes the overall flying experience easier for operators. The open, clutter-free cockpit features two tower-mounted cyclic and collective side sticks and unique trim pedals that greatly improve control throughout the flight envelope. The flight control system and flight director interface can automatically fly the helicopter in a variety of modes. The flight director can also be coupled to an autopilot system to provide hands-off navigation. However, if preferred, the pilot can also choose to decouple the flight director from autopilot and manually fly the Bell 525.

The Bell 525’s wrap-around windscreens and integrated avionics system give pilots an enhanced external field of view while the Garmin G5000H touch-screen avionics revolutionizes the way you access flight data and places unprecedented situational awareness information at the pilots’ fingertips, allowing for a quick, automatic response to any flight situation.

Make it Reliable
Since FBW removes the mechanical linkages in place in traditional helicopters, it also results in fewer parts and fewer mechanical repairs. In fact, Bell Helicopter was able to eliminate a significant amount of intricate rigging by incorporating FBW technology. The Bell 525 Relentless features an integrated vehicle health monitoring system able to monitor, analyze and report on collected data and then trend the data to provide prognostics and predict failures before they become unscheduled maintenance.

The reliability of the Bell 525’s FBW controls continues to be extensively tested in the Relentless Advanced Systems Integration Laboratory (RASIL). Within the RASIL, pilots are able to operate and test the 525’s flight controls, hydraulics, actuators, electrical and avionics systems. The cockpit simulator allows a hands-on view of the technology and gives testers the opportunity to identify improvements up front, saving invaluable time and significantly maturing systems prior to on aircraft testing later this year.

“Having developed a highly capable systems integration lab, it’s exciting to see the progression of hardware-in-the-loop testing,” said Larry Hutson, RASIL Integrated Product Team lead on the Bell 525. “With fly-by-wire, we’re able to give customers a product with greater handling capability, increased control and improved responsiveness,” Altogether, the Bell 525 Relentless has the ability to revolutionize the commercial helicopter industry by allowing pilots the freedom to do more quicker and safer than ever before.”

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