Book Description
For each topic the relevant theory is explained briefly and followed by details of the practical aspects of testing a conventional helicopter. These include safety considerations, planning the tests, and the most efficient way to conduct individual flights. Where possible typical test results are presented and discussed.
The book draws on the authors? extensive experience in flight test and flight test training and will appeal not only to professionals working in the area of rotorcraft test and evaluation, but also to helicopter pilots, rotorcraft designers and manufacturers and final year undergraduates of aeronautical engineering.
Copublished with Blackwell Science Ltd.
About the author
Major Eric Fitzpatrick joined the Royal Marines in 1974 and served as a commando officer until starting helicopter pilot training in 1979. Following his pilot?s course he completed operational tours with 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron and the Army Air Corps in Norway, Germany and the UK, flying the Scout and Lynx in the anti-armour role. This was followed by an instructional tour before attending the Empire Test Pilots' School at Boscombe Down in 1986. After graduation from ETPS he completed a three year tour on Rotary Wing Test Squadron, also at Boscombe Down, as a test pilot and as the squadron senior pilot before commanding an Army Air Corps squadron in Germany. From 1992 to the present he has been employed as a tutor at ETPS. In his career he has completed over 5000 flight hours and has been qualified on eleven helicopters and four fixed-wing aircraft.
