Helicopter Operations Aircrew/Crew Chief Trainer

The effectiveness and safety of complex, multi-role helicopter platforms such as the Pave Hawk and Seahawk require that the cabin crew interact seamlessly with the flight crew and a dynamic external environment. Due to physical constraints and fidelitylimitations, however, current simulation designs fail to accommodate a wide range of training. The proposal herein introduces a novel and elegant approach to this challenge by employing three proven technologies - live video capture, real-time videoediting (blue screen imaging), and virtual environment simulation - thus offering a quantum jump in training realism and capability. Video from the trainee's perspective is sent to a processor that preserves near-space (cabin environment) pixels and makestransparent the far-space (out-the-cabin) pixels using blue screen imaging techniques. This bitmap is overlaid on a virtual environment, and sent to the trainee's helmet mounted display. Thus the user directly views the physical cabin environment, whilethe simulated outside world serves as a backdrop. Using this technique, a litter that is physically pushed out and lowered from the cabin can be replaced by a virtual surrogate, which proceeds to be lowered into the simulated environment. A motionplatform, cabin mock-up, and a speech analyzer comprise the remainder of the trainer.