High Reynolds number helicopter fuselage test in the ONERA F1 pressurised wind tunnel

The objective of the joint European HELIFUSE BRITE EURAM Programme is to improve the helicopter fuselage drag reduction capabilities of the European rotorcraft industry, by obtaining a better understanding of the helicopter fuselage flow field and the subsequent improvement of aerodynamic design codes. Within the framework of this project, a wind tunnel test programme was performed to procure a complete database of fuselage forces and moments, surface pressures and surface flow visualisation on a realistic modular fuselage, including data on simpler fuselage shapes well-suited for preliminary design code validation, at various Reynolds numbers. The data obtained is also to be used for an investigation into the influence of Reynolds number variation upon the magnitude of the forces and moments acting upon the fuselage. The test programme was conducted in the F1 pressurized low speed.