flightglobal.com 28 January-3 February 2020 | Flight International | 29
AIRBUS HELICOPTERS H160
“we have to work on it” in order to reduce the
noise of operation; an unanticipated side-
effect of the helicopter itself being quieter is
that it no longer masks the sound of the
climate control operating.
But amid all the focus on the rear of the air-
craft, pilots have not been forgotten either and
gain a toolbox of avionics enhancements
designed to reduce their workload.
“It is very simple. If you don’t have so
many actions to perform, you can’t make so
many mistakes and you are better able to
manage all situations,” says Gensse.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Underpinning the functionality improve-
ments is the manufacturer’s design philoso-
phy, explains Gensse. “I think in Airbus Heli-
copters it is really important for us to have a
very simple system in front of the pilot but
behind it a very complicated architecture
to monitor and manage the whole of the
[aircraft] system.”
The usual blizzard of acronyms – HTAWS,
TCAS II, SVS and so on – are present, but the
H160 also gains a number of features unique
to Airbus Helicopters. These include the
recovery mode function already in use on the
H175 super-medium-twin. Once triggered –
via a simple double-click on the cyclic control- recovery mode quickly returns the helicop-
ter to its previous heading, speed and altitude.
This, Gensse says, was implemented after
analysis of incidents in degraded visual envi-
ronments such as brown- or white-out condi-
tions, or other situations where a pilot loses
orientation. However, he cautions that it is not
a panacea and is limited by physics: if the
helicopter is descending quickly close to the
ground, recovery mode will not save it.
“It is going to do its bit, but the limit is
physics. The spirit is that if you are not flying
well you should use it,” he says.
Automated take-offs have also been added
to the H160’s repertoire, taking the aircraft all
the way up to the decision height; and if there
is an engine failure the helicopter will auto-
matically recover, either descending to a pre-
set point (with an accuracy of 0.5m) or allow-
ing a departure if that is the safer option.
However, although the system is automat-
ed, pilot intervention – a big handful of
collective – is still required to arrest the heli-
copter in its final metres of descent. Similarly,
the autopilot is not engaged all the way to the
ground, with the pilot taking over once the
H160 is hovering in ground effect.
“Once again it is a choice: we are not ready
to go all the way to the ground,” he says.
That philosophy also applies to another
safety feature – the vortex ring state (VRS) de-
tection system. VRS occurs when a helicop-
ter’s speed is allowed to decay and the aircraft
begins descending uncontrollably through its
own downwash. The H160’s VRS detection
system analyses several parameters while in
manual flight to predict the situation 10s
ahead if there is no intervention. The system
then provides aural and visual warnings, giv-
ing the pilot 5-7s to react before entering VRS.
While flying with the autopilot engaged
prevents the helicopter from entering VRS,
there is no automated safety net for manual
flight: if the pilot chooses to take no action
after receiving the warning, VRS remains the
eventual outcome.
Gensse says this is to allow the pilot to per-
form certain manouevres that an automated
system might otherwise try to prevent.
In addition, the complexity of additional
automated features – and the maturity of the
technology – could have prevented timely de-
livery of the H160. That could also have re-
sulted in delivering a system to customers
that overpromised but underdelivered, he
says. “If we are going too fast, we have to be
sure we are not giving a device that is not per-
fect for the customer. If it doesn’t work, pilots
won’t use it.”STRONG AND STABLE
However, for all the automation, key to the
H160’s performance, Gensse believes, is the
stability of the helicopter itself. He notes that
it can be flown without either the autopilot or
stability augmentation system.
It is also “beautifully balanced”, he says,
with its natural position near to horizontal; an
equilibrium facilitated during the develop-
ment process by moving the avionics bay into
the nose. That translates to a helicopter that
can easily be recovered from extreme situa-
tions and renders incidents such as engine
failure “non-events”.
Gensse’s memory of the early days of the
programme is illustrative of its maturity: on
the H160’s initial test flight (as opposed to the
simple hovering of its maiden sortie) it was
taken to 140kt (260km/h); an “incredible”
achievement, he says.
“It is not possible to imagine that speed on
a first [full] flight,” he says. ■Airbus HelicoptersNew model includes host of automated
features, such as recovery mode, designed
to reduce pilot workload and boost safety