Rotorcraft
DLR tests haptic sidestick controls
German aerospace research center DLR is testing sidesticks that provide force feedback and, on a more innovative note, touch cues to reduce crew workload.

German aerospace research center DLR is testing sidesticks that provide force feedback and, on a more innovative note, touch cues to reduce crew workload. The pilot can feel stops or vibrations if the aircraft approaches a pre-defined limit.

The agency has been testing the right sidestick, which replaces the center stick that conventionally controls the cyclic pitch, since 2007. The DLR has tested several configurations, replacing part or all of the conventional controls. Unlike passive sidesticks, the active ones are equipped with an electric motor to generate the forces the pilot would feel with conventional controls.