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Description of the testing film:

The warning system has 2 levels of alarm. The first is a prealert that is warning the pilot that the prediction is that, based on the current rate of progression of different parameters, he is likely to get the second alarm. It’s really to prepare him mentally to be ready to carry out the appropriate corrective action if the second alarm is activated.

For the flapping warning alarm the graph shows the first TO in the video. The flapping “angle” and “state” (these are the different alarms) are on the secondary Y axis. There are 2 pre alarms that give the same message; these are alarms 1 & 3. Number 3 alarm is a predictive alarm using a logic/algorithm by Jean Claude Debreyer. Number 1 alarm uses realtime data in case there is a sudden change in one parameter that would be missed by the predictive logic such as a sudden gust of wind increasing the airspeed nearly instantaneously and flapping the rotor.

The second alarm is the Number 2 alarm it uses realtime data and the rate of change of different parameters to tell the pilot that if he continues at the current rate of progress he is very likely to flap the rotors within about 2 seconds and it’s time to carry out the appropriate corrective action that, thanks to the pre alarm, he should be mentally prepared to do.

You can see from the graph that the number 3 predictive alarm goes off first giving a “flapping risk” warning. This is followed by a number 1 alarm giving the same message, followed by a number 2 alarm “flapping, flapping, flapping”. This N°2 alarm starts at about 17.2 secs and you can see that the flapping angle is increasing at such a rate that it would hit the 8° flapping angle at about 19.5 secs. 8° is when the rotor hits the flapping stops. You can also see that from releasing the pre rotator to 8° flapping angle is about 6.5 seconds, things happen very fast.

This graph shows the data that would be available for any post crash investigation (assuming the SD card wasn’t destroyed in the crash). At a production stage they are looking at some sort of fire protection. The only data that would not be recorded would be the flapping angle that is recorded on a separate device for testing. They are considering adding engine rpm and there is an external switch for something like the canopy lock.

You can see the flapping angle on the telephone on the instrument panel. Knowing the flapping angle is important for testing because that is what allows the pilot to approach flapping with some degree of confidence. In my opinion it would be of little or no value to most pilots because it happens so quickly that by the time you saw it, it would be too late. That is why we use Jean Claude’s predictive logic/algorithm.

The voice on this prototype GWS is that of Mark Burton. For the production model (if we ever get there) the owner/pilot can record whatever message he thinks will generate the appropriate corrective action in whatever language he needs. If he thinks his wife’s voice saying “shut the f..ing throttle” will do the trick that’s fine.

The “inevitable” “behind the curve” warning as you flare is no different to the stall warning on most aircraft. In testing they found it a good indicator of not landing too fast. If a flare is started and don’t get that message, something’s wrong. Also the GWS includes a volume controller (you can’t turn it down below a certain level) and a push button to stop the message for a set time period (actually at 20 seconds but adjustable).

For training there is an instructor push button to allow him to simulate the different alarms.

At the moment the thinking is that this would only be sold to manufacturers because it requires some serious flight testing to establish the different parameters for each gyro/rotor combination. Each manufacturer would have to decide where he wanted to put the limits for his machine. For example the bunting alarm at the moment is set with my personal G limits but a manufacturer may decide that they are too risky or too conservative, that must be his call.

Once they have established their parameters and created an installation kit they could offer it as a retro fit for existing customers if they wanted to.