An Analysis of Three Approaches to the Helicopter Preliminary Design Problem

Three methodologies from which to approach the problem of preliminary helicopter design are explored in this paper. The first is a sensitivity analysis of the basic helicopter performance equations. The purpose here is to ascertain where resonable simplifications can be made that do not seriously degrade the accuracy of the results. The second is a graphical parametric design method, known as Carpet Plots. In this method a graphical solution is developed to meet the design criteria of the helicopter. In the third, an overview of Boeing Vertols Helicopter Sizing and Performance Computer Program is given. The computer routines which enable a person to access HESCOMP on the Naval Postgraduate School main frame IBM system are also provided.