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HeliUM 2 - Overview

HeliUM 2 is a research code for nonreal-time helicopter flight dynamic simulation. The code is entirely written in Fortran, and typically runs on Apple PowerMacs and on Sun and SGI workstations. It is our main numerical tool for basic research in helicopter flight dynamics. The code has been almost entirely developed at the University of Maryland.

The code does four basic types of calculations for a single main rotor helicopter, namely:

• trim
• extraction of a linear state-space model
• response to an arbitrary pilot input
• trajectory calculations (inverse simulation)

The hub can be articulated or hingeless. The blades are modeled as flexible bodies, and the hub motions can be arbitrary. Several inflow models can be used, including a "maneuvering" free wake. The code has been validated with UH-60 and BO-105 flight test data.

Read more about:

• the history of the code
• the solution methods
• the rotor model

Look at some simulation results:

• Descent through the vortex ring state (animation)