Abstract:

Today, the only ways to fly a general aviation aircraft for a pilot with reduced mobility are by modifying the controls of one's own aircraft (which must be certified exclusively for the pilot), or by purchasing a specifically modified and certified aircraft from factory. Both processes are tedious, time consuming, and very expensive, and do not rid the pilot from doing a lot of hand motion to compensate for the lack of mobility in his legs while flying the plane.

At the Centre d'Estudis Superiors d'Aviació, CESDA, innovating in teaching has always allowed us to improve, reinforce and complement the regulated training of our Aviation Pilot Degree students. Some objectives of this innovation are to offer students the possibility of participating in collaborative projects [1] promoting synergistic activity, in multidisciplinary projects and in projects of a marked social nature, mainly when students are in the final phase of their training, with very beneficial learning outcomes. In the past 2021-2022 training cycle, two students have had the opportunity to participate in a project where aeronautical technical aspects were merged, with a marked application profile of haptic sense, while respecting the SHELL methodology [2], as an integrative educational proposal. The two students who participated in this project applied the knowledge acquired throughout their training as Aviation Pilots, to design, develop, build, and test in a simulator, a mechatronic device to facilitate flight for general aviation pilots with reduced mobility without the need for adaptations in the aircraft. The prototype was called HOTAS-DLP (Hands On Throttle And Stick – Disabled Legs Pilots).

The project was structured in three stages: Stage 1 with an analysis of the state of the art of aviation adapted to people with reduced mobility, Stage 2 where aeronautical regulations were studied regarding the requirements for aircraft flight controls, licenses and necessary medical certificates, together with the analysis of the technologies to be applied in the proposed device respecting the SHELL methodology (man-machine integration: Software, Hardware, Environment, Liveware), and in stage 3 the design, construction and testing of the prototype in a flight simulator taking into account the haptic sense throughout this stage. The two students who were involved in this project collaborated closely in stages 1 and 2, and in stage 3 they each faced different aspects of this mechatronic device, one opting for the mechanical part and the other for the electrical-electronic part.

This integrating project resulted in the realization of a successful functional, portable, economical, and universal prototype, establishing a starting point from which future developments can be carried out that include design improvements, different versions, optimizations, etc., to certify it and test it on aircraft and in real flights.

References:
[1] COOPERATIVE PROJECTS. THE CASE OF DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING THE ULTRA LIGHT JET XFA-3. E. Saavedra, J. Pallarès, M. Medrano, J. Gavaldà.European University College of Aviation (CESDA) (SPAIN). Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering (SPAIN). University Rovira i Virgili (SPAIN).
[2] Safety Management Manual (SMM) – ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization - Third Edition — 2012

Keywords:

Educational projects, haptic sense, SHELL method, disabled legs pilots, light aircraft, ultralight aircraft, glider, mechatronic devices, aviation training.