Flight tests with enhanced/synthetic vision system for rescue helicopter

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has been conducting a research project named SAVERH (Situation Awareness and Visual Enhancer for Rescue Helicopter) with Shimadzu Corporation and NEC from 2008. SAVERH aims at inventing a method of presenting suitable information to the pilot to support search and rescue missions. An integrated system comprising an HMD (Helmet-Mounted Display) and a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) sensor were installed in a JAXA research helicopter, and a series of flight tests was conducted to evaluate the benefit of presenting FLIR images on the HMD in night flight. Three pilots evaluated the display system during six night flights, considering terrain and position awareness. The tests showed that use of FLIR gave better route tracking performance, and the effectiveness of head-slaved FLIR on an approach task was shown by subjective pilot rating.