OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FOR ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT

摘要

An airborne obstacle detector for a helicopter includes a visual display, a GPS receiver and an altimeter for indicating the position and course of an aircraft. A computer provides moving map data indicative of a topography of an area which surroun d the position of the aircraft. The computer determines a first hazard zone within a first preselected distance from the aircraft and generates a first color display of a first hazard zone based on the moving map data. The computer also detects a more danger zone within a second preselected distance from the aircraft which is less then the first preselected distance and generates a second color display of the more dangerous zone. A detector then senses a physical obstacle which is within a third preselected distance from the aircraft which is less than the first preselected distance from the aircraft and sends a signal to an alarm. The alarm then produces a series of audible clicks which increase in frequency and/or volum e as the aircraft approaches the obstacle. A mute subsystem, a visual alarm in place of a mute d audio signal and a mute override are also disclosed.