Production Validation Test -- Government Kaman K747 Improved Main Rotor Blade
Abstract
The United States Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity conducted a Production Validation Test-Government of the Kaman K747 improved main rotor blades (K747 IMRB) installed on Bell Helicopter Company Production AH-1S helicopter from September through December 1978. A special test of the in-flight acoustical characteristics of the K747 IMRB was conducted in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Aeromechanics Laboratory, US Army Research and Technology Laboratories, US Army Aviation Research and Development Command during October 1978. The performance testing consisted of out-of-ground-effect (OGE) hover and level flight in california at Bishop (4120-foot elevation), Coyote Flats (9980-foot elevation). Bakersfield (488-foot elevation), and Edwards AFB (2302-foot elevation). Hover and level flight performance and acoustic characteristics of the AH-1S were evaluated for both K747 MRB and the B540 main rotor blades (B540 MRB). The K747 IMRB demonstrated a 3.3 percent (310 lb increase in gross weight at Army hot day conditions) improvement in OGE hover performance. The AH-1S configured with the K747 IMRB required slightly more power in level flight for coefficient of thrust(CT) less than approximately 0.0054 and significantly less power required for CT's more than approximately 0.0054 when compared to the B540 MRB configuration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA097689
Entities
People
- Frame J. Bowers
- George M. Mullen
- John S. Tulloch
- Ralph Woratschek
- Tom P. Benson
- Vernon L. Diekmann