Methodology of automated study of the workload of a helicopter pilot

Abstract

The subject of the study is the contradiction between the need to conduct a study of the workload of helicopter pilots and the lack of methods regulated by regulatory and technical documents to ensure that such studies are carried out during the testing of new aircraft. The purpose of the study was to ensure the possibility of objectification of the pilot's workload during testing of modernized and created helicopter models, as well as in the process of flight simulator training. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as the development of a pilot workload research program; the completion of a helicopter by installing a set of technical means for studying attention reserves; determining the pilot's workload; determining the integral indicator of the pilot's workload and drawing up a conclusion based on the results of the workload study. The main conclusion of the conducted theoretical and experimental research is that the developed methodology for studying the workload of a helicopter pilot, based on determining the reserves of his attention when performing professional activities, provides an adequate definition of the workload when performing helicopter tests on semi-natural modeling complexes and during flight simulator training. The results of verification and research of the effectiveness of the developed solutions have shown that the objectification of the pilot's workload during helicopter testing provides an opportunity to substantiate industry recommendations on the refinement and improvement of the layout of helicopter cabins, to rationalize the points of the flight part of the test program and to intensify the process of professional training of flight personnel.