Mobile Aircrew Crashworthy Seating Systems for Helicopters

This Phase I program would examine the feasibility of developing an innovative mobile aircrew crashworthy seating prototype that allows the cabin crewmembers the freedom to perform the majority of their airborne tasks but also allows for easy and rapid repositioning or stowing of the seat to accommodate cargo/troop ingress/egress, hoist operations, etc. The seating system will provide adequate crew protection and restraint during a crash pulse at least equivalent to the flight crew seats. Also we will develop and evaluate differnet EA and restraint technology concepts that have been suggested and developed to provide the best possible crash protection to the entire aircrew population. We will demonstrate design success via computer modeling/simulation and prototype testing. This SBIR Phase I will yield a quantitative set of seat design guidelines and models that can be implemented to military helicopter and civil rotorcraft. Later Phase II studies could include more engineering development and prototype seat tests.