S-92/Systems

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SECTION 6. SYSTEMS

1 MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAYS (MFDs)

The primary instruments of the S-92 are five Multi-Function Display (MFD) panels on the main console. From left two right they are numbered #1, #2, #5, #3, #4. The left most displays, #1 and #2, are for co-pilot use; the right-most displays, #3 and #4 are for pilot use; and the center display, #5, is for shared use. When the aircraft is operating on battery power, only the #3 and #4 displays will be on. The remaining displays will turn on when primary power is engaged. Each MFD can be in one of four modes: PDF, NAV, EICAS or PROC. The mode select buttons are located above each display. Each of these modes is described in more detail below.

1.1 Primary Flight Display (PFD)

The PFD is the primary flight instrument used by the pilots and is usually selected on the #1 and #4 displays. The top-half of the PFD serves as an attitude indicator showing the relationship of the aircraft with the horizon. From this display the pilot can quickly see their angle of bank, and the angle of pitch up or pitch down. Embedded in the attitude indicator are a display on the left showing airspeed in knots, and an indicator on the right showing altitude. The altitude is shown both digitally and with a dial to show the hundreds of feet.

The bottom half of the PFD is dominated by a heading indicator in the center. Above and to the right of this is the VSI (Vertical Speed Indicator) showing the rate of climb or descent in feet/min. Note that the scale is non-linear with a large swing between 0 and 1000 feet/min, then smaller swing for each additional 1000 feet/min. On the upper left side is the rotor RPM gauge. Two green lines indicate the normal operating RPM. If the collective is raised while the RPM is not between the two green lines and electrical power is on, a LOW RPM warning will show on the warning panel along with a low rpm alert horn. The bottom left indicator is the main rotor torque (TRQ). This shows how much power is being applied to the rotors. Yellow and red lines show caution, and never-exceed limits on the amount of power, normally controlled by the amount of collective used. A blue line shows the never exceed limit on torque with one engine inoperative.

1.2 Engine-Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS)

The EICAS shows the state of the engines and other onboard systems. The top-left and top-right show the percent RPM on N1 and N2 for Engine 1 and Engine 2, respectively. N1 and N2 refer to the first and second stage compressors of the turbine engine. Control of the RPM is normally automated based on the setting of the power levers for each engine. The 20% line on the N1 indicators are the minimum safe RPM for engine start.

The APU status is shown at the top center of the display. It shows either "APU ON" when the APU is running, or "APU OFF" when it is not running. Note that it does not show if the APU generator is engaged.

Below the APU status is the fuel status of the left and right tanks. The fuel is shown in pounds of fuel with a maximum of 2604 pounds (380 gallons) per tank. The indicators are shown in green when fuel quantity is over 1/4 tank and turn red below 1/4 tank.

The bottom center shows a diagram of the helicopter with the status of external doors. There are indicators for the upper and lower main cabin doors; and for the left and right baggage doors. A green indication shows the door is closed while a red indication shows the door is open. In addition, a message to the right will show "DOORS OPEN" when there is at least one open external door, and "DOORS CLOSED" when all external doors are closed.

Electrical system indicators are shown in the lower left corner of the EICAS. V-P shows the voltage on the primary bus, A-P shows the power drain in amps of all on-board devices, and V-B shows the voltage of the battery bus. The battery bus includes normal range and caution range indicators to show when the battery is low and needs recharging.

1.3 Navigation (NAV)

The NAV screen provides access to an on-board version of the Shergood GPS/Transponder system. The GPS/Transponder operation is discussed in greater detail in Section 9.

1.4 Procedures (PROC)

The procedures page includes procedures and checklists for startup and shutdown. The procedures panel is touch sensitive and you may use the soft buttons to navigate through the pages.

2 WARNING LIGHTS

There is a set of six warning lights mounted above the #5 MFD in the center of the console. Normally flight should not be attempted unless all warning lights are out. The warning lights have the following meanings: #1 ENG OUT - The #1 engine is not running or is inoperative LOW RPM - The main rotor RPM is below limits, and the collective is not full down. This warning light is accompanied by an audible alarm sound. #2 ENG OUT - The #2 engine is not running or is inoperative EXT POWER - The aircraft is connected to external power MSTR CAUTION - Master caution light. Illuminated when any other caution light is on. MAIN PWR OVLD - Main Power Overload. Illuminated when the electrical demand exceeds limits of currently generated electrical power.

3 HUD

When you first wear the HUD it will be dark and "disconnected" will be displayed to indicate the HUD has not connected to an aircraft. When you sit in either the pilot (right) or co-pilot (left) seat, the HUD will connect and light up. The HUDs of the pilot and copilot/passenger show identical flight data including control positions. There are two main parts of the HUD: an MFD on the top, and the flight controls on the bottom. The MFD has identical functioning to the MFDs in the aircraft. The bottom half of HUD includes the following:

Sim Crossing Status - Small light in upper left corner that shows the sim crossing state. A green light indicates normal connectivity, while a yellow or red light indicates no connectivity. It is normal to see a yellow or red indication for one or two seconds during a sim crossing.

Aircraft ID - Shows the tail number of the aircraft the HUD is connected to. "--" will be displayed when disconnected.

HOBBS meter - Shows total time on your aircraft in hours and tenths of hours. Accumulates time only while engine is running.

Collective - Collective controls the total thrust the helicopter is producing. Drag the red dot with the mouse to move the collective. You can also use the Up/Down arrow keys in HUD mode or PgUp/Down keys in Keyboard mode. The red dot will show current collective position regardless of which method you use to manipulate it.

Cyclic - Cyclic controls the direction that thrust is directed. Drag the red dot with the mouse to move the cyclic. In cruise flight, turns should be performed primarily with cyclic, with the pedals used for trim.

Anti-Torque - Anti-Torque (pedals) is used to control the tail rotor thrust. Use the mouse in the horizontal bar to set pedal position, or use the Left/Right arrow keys to control anti-torque. The pedals should be used for turns during hovering flight, and for trim using the inclinometer while in cruise flight.

4 MINI-HUD

In addition to the standard HUD, there is also an alternative "Mini HUD". The mini HUD is essentially the same as the lower portion of the main HUD.

5 APU

An APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) is used to provide electrical power to the primary electrical bus before the main generators are online. It is also used as an air source to spin up the main engines before start. To start the APU, you must first turn on the BATT switch to provide battery power, then the APU CTRL switch to turn on the APU. If there is inadequate battery power, the APU will not start and you will need to use external power to start the APU. The APU GEN switch turns on the APU generator to produce electrical power while the AIR SRCE switch uses the APU to generate air flow thorough the main engines for start.

6 ENGINES

The aircraft is powered by two turbine engines each producing 2,520 shaft horsepower. Engine status for each engine is shown in the EICAS display. There are two main indications, the percent RPM on the N1 and N2 compressor stages. Engines are started by first introducing air using the APU to spool up the N1 compressor to at least 20%. The engine igniter switches energize the electrical igniters that are activated by pressing the engine start buttons. Switches next to the start buttons control the fuel pumps for each engine. The fuel pumps have three positions OFF, XFD (crossfeed) and DIRECT. When an engine is off, clicking on its fuel pump switch will toggle between OFF and DIRECT, and when an engine is running clicking on its fuel pump switch will toggle between DIRECT and XFD. A large engine control lever controls the state of each engine. There are three positions OFF, IDLE and FLY. In IDLE state, the engine is running and ready for use, but is not supplying significant power to the rotors. In the FLY state, the engine is producing full power to bring the rotors up to full RPM. Click on the side of an engine control with the green arrow to advance it, and the side with the red arrow to move it toward OFF. When starting the engine, care must be taken to avoid a hot start. A hot start occurs when the engine is started without adequate airflow through the turbine. Most commonly this occurs when the engine is started without turning on the APU air source, but can also occur if the engine is started too quickly before N1 reaches 20%.

7 FUEL SYSTEM

Fuel is held in right and left fuel tanks located in the sponsons on the sides of the helicopter. Each tank holds 2604 pounds (380 gallons) for a total of 5208 pounds (760 gallons). Each engine burns 95 gallons/hour from its respective tank, while the APU burns 25 gallons/hour from the left tank. If the fuel levels between left and right tanks become unbalanced, you may set the fuel pump on an engine to the XFD (crossfeed) position. When an engine is set to crossfeed, it will draw fuel from the tank on the opposite side. The fuel cap on a tank must be removed before servicing the aircraft. Note that the left and right tanks are serviced separately and have separate caps. You can use any compatible refueling system (including typing "refuel" in local chat). For more control over your refueling, you can use any KellyFuel system that implements version 2.0 or later of KellyFuel. To use KellyFuel, make sure the aircraft is within 10m of the pump and click on the pump. It will search for nearby aircraft which have had their fuel caps removed and display a list by N-Number. Choose the N-number of the aircraft you wish to fuel. Click the pump again to get a menu of refueling options. Refueling options include:

  • Check - Check the current fuel level.
  • n Gal - Add n gallons (various quantities are listed) to the tank.
  • Fill - Fill tank completely.
  • Done - Exit menu and disconnect from aircraft.

While a fuel pump is in use, it cannot be used by anyone else until they have selected "Done", filled the tanks, or a 5 min. timeout has expired.

Note that fuel has weight and will affect the performance of your aircraft. One gallon of Jet-A weighs approximately 7 pounds. If carrying a lot weight, it is sometimes useful to fill the tanks only part way.

8 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND GROUND POWER UNIT

This aircraft utilizes a 28V DC electrical system. There are two main buses, the battery bus, and the primary bus. While some devices and systems can be powered from the battery bus, others (such as the landing gear, some of the MFDs and video system) require the primary bus to be powered. The battery bus is energized simply by turning on the BATT switch on the upper console. The primary bus can be powered by the APU, the either the #1 or #2 main generator and DC converter, the backup DC converter and either main generator, or through external power. Each device generates the following amount of power:

Item Amps
APU 200 Amps
External Power (GPU) 200 Amps
#1 and #2 DC converters 400 Amps
Each Backup DC converter 125 Amps

APU power is available when the APU is running and the APU GEN switch is on. Main power is available when the respective engine is running and both the generator and DC converter for that engine are on. In the event of a converter failure, the backup converter can be used to generate 125 amps of power on the main bus.

8.1 Recharging

Note that the battery is recharged only off the #1 (left) DC converter, or through external power. The battery will not be recharged through just the APU.

8.2 Using External Power

The external power port is located on the forward portion of the left sponson. click on the access panel to open it, then rez and click on the GPU (Ground Power Unit). The GPU will search for and list aircraft available to be powered. Once you select your aircraft, it will move itself into position and connect to the aircraft. While connected, the battery will be recharged. You can also use the GPU to power the primary bus by enabling the AC EXT PWR switch.

9 LANDING GEAR

This aircraft is equipped with a retractable tricycle landing gear system with a castoring nose wheel. The gear control and indicator is located on the pilot side of the lower console. The three green lights indicate when the gear is down and locked, while a red light indicates the gear is in transit. Under normal operation, the primary bus must be powered to raised and lower the gear. In the event of a primary bus failure, the emergency down switch can be activated. This will allow the gear to be lowered in the event it was raised at the time of the primary bus failure.

10 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

A fire suppression system is available to detect and extinguish any crash related fires. To enable, set the FIRE EXTG switch to the ARM position. After a crash, the fire will be detected and put out within 10 seconds. If the fire suppression system is not enabled, it will take 60 seconds for the fire to burn out on its own. The fire suppression system should be enabled after engine start, and disabled after shutdown.

11 ELT

This aircraft is equipped with an onboard ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter). The ELT is located behind the baggage compartment with a small antenna mounted on the top of the fuselage. Controls for the ELT are on the main console below the Low RPM Warning light. The controls consist of a light that will flash to indicate an ELT alarm has been triggered, and a two position switch. When the switch is in the "Off" position, no ELT alrams will be triggered. When the ELT is in the "Arm" position, a sudden impact will trigger an ELT signal which can be tracked by search and rescue personnel.

12 EXTERNAL LIGHTING

External lights include upper and lower anti-collision lights, dual forward taxi/landing lighs and position lights for night use. External light switches are located on the upper panel.

13 INTERIOR LIGHTING

13.1 Cockpit Lighting

Cockpit lighting switches are located on the aft end of the upper console. The following switches are available:

  • BACK-UP - Illuminates red flood light
  • INST - Illuminates main console
  • SIDE - Illuminates sides of cockpit
  • OVHD - Illuminates the overhead console
  • LWR - Illuminates the lower console
  • P/B - Illuminates the floor area
  • FLOOD - Illuminates the main flood lights

13.2 Cabin Lighting

The cabin lighting switches are located in the front right portion of the upper console. The switches are:

  • OVHD - Main cabin overhead lights
  • SEAT BELT - Fasten seat belt indicator light
  • NO SMOKE - No smoking indicator light
  • PASS READ - Enable passenger control of the reading lights
  • ONBOARD AND PASSENGER SYSTEMS

The OnBoard system included with this helicopter lets your passengers get up and walk around in flight. Once passengers have taken an initial seat, they may walk by clicking on the floor (do not "STAND", or choose a new seat by clicking on that seat. Passengers may also click on the toilet when the door to the lavatory is open.

Next to passenger seats are consoles to control passenger systems. The READ LIGHT buttons on the ends control the two reading lights (must be enabled by pilot). The WINDOW BRT/DIM light controls tint on the cabin windows. The VIDEO ON/OFF switch turns the video system on and off. Once video is on, click on one of the passenger displays to enable media on it. The channel button can then be used to select from the channels configured on the *channels notecard installed in the aircraft. This notecard may be edited by the aircraft owner.

14 SEATING ACCESS CONTROL

For the purpose of access control, there are three classes of seats on the S-92 : pilot, crew and passenger. The "crew" class includes both the copilot (seated in the left seat) and the flight attendant (seated in the jump seat near the main cabin door). Each seat class can be separately set to restricted or guest. When a class is set to "restricted", only the owner or avatars who have been added to the registered crew list can use that class of seat.

The access controls are found in the @Admin menu which is accessible only by the owner. Each of the three class will be shown with a preceding "R" to show it is in restricted mode or "G" for guest mode. Also in the @Admin menu are buttons to Add, Remove and List registered crew members.

15 AFCS (AUTOMATIC FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM) / AUTOPILOT

The AFCS (Automatic Flight Control System) is a system for reducing pilot workload by taking over some of the responsibilities for handling of the aircraft. The AFCS panel is located near the pilot's left knee below the #3 MFD. The AFCS is capable of "holding" one or more of airspeed (IAS), heading (HDG), altitude (ALT) or vertical speed (V/S). It is controlled either by touching the buttons on the panel, or by using the chat commands in the command summary above.

The main display shows the current settings for each of the four quantities with a green bar over a quantity indicating the AFCS is currently holding that value. When the value itself is highlighted the + and - buttons on the left side will increase or decrease the current setting for that value. The select button (SEL) selects which value will be adjusted with the + and - buttons.

The mode buttons, IAS, ALT, HDG and V/S on the top of the panel toggle a hold for each of four values. Note that a hold of altitude and vertical speed are mutually exclusive, and only one or the other can have a hold at once. When you enable a hold, the current setting will be set to value for the current aircraft state. For example, pressing the ALT button will enable altitude hold at the current altitude of the aircraft.

The AFSC works by moving the actual controls which can be "felt" by the pilot. While altitude and vertical speed hold is always controlled through collective inputs, the airspeed and heading control is slightly different depending on the airspeed. When airspeed is below 40 knots, airspeed is controlled by forward/back cyclic and heading is controlled with the pedals. At this low speed, the airspeed hold also includes a lateral movement hold which is maintained through lateral cyclic control. Above 40 knots, the lateral hold switches off and instead lateral cyclic is used to control heading, while the pedals are controlled only for trim.

Note that even when the AFCS is enabled, any pilot inputs to a control will take priority over the AFCS. The AFCS can be disabled by pressing the disconnect (DIS) button. The AFCS will also disconnect when rotor rpm is less than 80% or primary electric power is lost. A tone will sound when disconnect to alert the pilot.

The AFCS also includes an "autohover" button labeled HVR. The autohover button is a shortcut for enabling heading and altitude hold at current heading and altitude, and airspeed hold with an airspeed of zero. When enabled at cruise, the aircraft will gradually slow and come to a stationary hover. It is important to note that autohover works by controlling the inputs for zero motion, not to maintain a specific position. It is therefore the pilots responsibility to monitor any small drift that may occur with autohover enabled.

Common tasks using the AFCS

  • Takeoff with autopilot - Center controls and press the HVR button to enable autohover. The target altitude will be set to the current altitude. Change the target altitude to a value above the current value, and the aircraft will automatically lift into a hover at the selected altitude.
  • Landing with autopilot - From a hover, enter an altitude below the ground level (e.g. 0). The aircraft will descent and land lowering collective when it touches the ground. You may also enter a negative value for the vertical speed with the same result.
  • Adjusting position while in hover - When autohover is enabled (altitude, airspeed and heading hold), you can use small cyclic inputs to nudge the aircraft in a desired direction. The aircraft will move in the direction of the nudge, the re-stabilize at zero forward and lateral speed.
  • Use on water - While on water using the floats, use of airspeed and altitude hold is not recommended. However, you may use heading hold for directional control of the aircraft.

16 EMERGENCY FLOATS

This aircraft is equipped with emergency pop-out floats. The controls are on the center panel between the pilot and co-pilot seat and labeled "EMERGENCY FLOTATION". To use the floats, the arming switch must be in the ARM position. Once the floats are armed, pressing the red deploy switch will deploy and inflate the floats. Inflation occurs in less than one second. The floats can be repacked by simply moving the arming switch back to the SAFE position. Repacking the floats while on water is not recommended. The chat command "s floatArm" can be used to toggle the position of the float arming switch, and the chat command "floats" can be used to deploy the floats once armed.

To maneuver while on water, you should apply a small amount of up collective to generate thrust, and a small amount of forward cyclic to control speed. Excessive forward or back cyclic should be avoided. Directional control should be with the pedals. It is permissible to use the AFCS/autopilot for heading hold while on water.