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Daytona Beach Campus - College of Engineering
Research
project:
HUMS - Health and Usage Monitoring Systems
(for helicopters)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in conjunction with Tomlinson Aviation
Inc. of Ormond Beach and Systems and Electronics (SEI) of Chicago has
completed the first of a series of FAA-sponsored helicopter research
flights demonstrating technology intended to enhance the safety and commercial
viability of helicopters in the United States.
Funded with a grant of $620,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration,
the project is evaluating Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) equipment
that uses onboard sensors to monitor flight conditions and the health of
helicopter components. The prototype HUMS hardware was developed by Systems & Electronics.
“Thanks to this technology, helicopter components in poor health can be
retired early, and healthy components can receive a life-limit extension,”
said Dr. Pat Anderson, the Embry-Riddle Aerospace Engineering professor
who is directing the HUMS project. “Thus, HUMS will help helicopter operators
increase safety while at the same time lowering operating expenses.”
The research flights were successfully completed on Feb. 16, 2008, in
a Bell 206 Jet Ranger provided by Tomlinson Aviation. The team from Embry-Riddle’s
Daytona Beach campus, composed of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate
students from both the College of Engineering and the College of Aviation,
equipped the jet-powered helicopter with a prototype HUMS for monitoring
a suite of sensors collecting aircraft-state data in real-time. Initial
data reductions indicate that the tests successfully determined the health
of the helicopter’s tail rotor in flight.
The team now moves on to demonstrate the same technology enhancements
in a smaller reciprocating helicopter similar to those used in pilot training.
HUMS team members from Embry-Riddle are Dr. Dan Macchiarella, Aeronautical
Science professor, as a pilot; Rachel Rajnicek, Aerospace Engineering graduate
research assistant, as the flight test engineer; Dr. Andrew Kornecki, Computer
Engineering professor, as the advisor on the computer interface with the
sensors; and students Chris Brown, Tom Haritos, Monica Londono, and Borja
Martos as assistants. Neal Tomlinson, owner of Tomlinson Aviation, serves
as a HUMS pilot, with the maintenance technicians at his company assisting
the Embry-Riddle engineers.
For more information, contact Dr. Pat Anderson at Embry-Riddle at (386)
226-6917 or richard.anderson@erau.edu.
Tomlinson Aviation Inc., located at Ormond Beach Municipal Airport in
Ormond Beach, Fla., provides helicopter sales, service, and parts. The
facility is an FAA-approved Parts 133, 135, 137, and 145 repair station
and parts distributor for Bell, Enstrom, MD, Robinson, and Schweizer helicopters
for the Southeast Region of the United States. The company offers product
support and overnight parts shipments. FAA-approved flight instruction
is available for Parts 133, 135, 137, and 141 as well as visa sponsorship,
with financial aid through AOPA and SLM Financial. The company offers charter,
air taxi, and photography flights.
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