Landing Phase Analysis of the NRC Bell 412 Advanced Systems Research Aircraft in Supervised Autonomous Flight Systems Configuration

Abstract

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Flight Research Laboratory (FRL) is advancing research under its Canadian Vertical Lift Autonomy Demonstration (CVLAD) program. Modular architecture hosted on the NRC Bell 412 Advanced Systems Research Aircraft (ASRA) enables pilot supervised autonomous flight via customized multi-display guidance-cueing. The capability exploits ASRA's full-authority control and safety systems, inertial-radar navigation, state-based digital supervision and is supported by open-source mission planning and digital-twin simulation. To date, ground interfacing (takeoff, landing) trials have been executed in proximity to NRC facilities in Ottawa (Canada) with rich test site variability (surfaces, slopes, obstacles, seasonal variations). Applied knowledge has been generated for autonomous mission execution in broad weather, low-speed, low-altitude, and low obstacle-standoff conditions critical in the vertical lift flight autonomy research domain.