Rotorcraft Design: The Crucial Influence of Safety from Concept to Fleet Support The 41st Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lecture

Abstract

It is an immense honor to have been selected to hold the prestigious 41st Nikolsky Lecture and to have the opportunity to synthesize my experiences with regards to the most important principle that permeates aeronautical engineering—“the concept of safety.” Having worked in the rotary-wing field for 39 years, with growing levels of involvement and responsibilities, I have been involved in the design, development, and certification of many helicopter models at the Leonardo Helicopters Division (LHD; formerly Agusta and then AgustaWestland), such as A109, A119, EH101, A129, NH90, AW609. More recently, I had the full responsibility of design, development, certification, and entry into service of three new helicopter types within the “AW Family concept”, specifically the AW139, AW189, and AW169. I am profoundly grateful for the mentors encountered in my professional life—Bruno Lovera and Santino Pancotti, both of whom were also honored with the Nikolsky Lectureship. In working with them, not a single day passed where the word “safety” was not mentioned. They taught me that “safety” shall be the mantra of every aeronautical engineer because it is our principal duty and responsibility, towards those who travel in, work on, and work with our products and entrust their lives to our work and professionalism daily. I have tried hard never to forget this lesson, and to convey this to the young engineers that I have had the chance and pleasure to work with. If I have been able to pass on this lesson successfully, through my work with others through this lectureship, it would be the greatest achievement of my life. In this vein, this paper is organized in three parts: (i) definitions and principles, along with some “philosophical” concepts; (ii) the application of these principles at Leonardo in the design of the latest generation of helicopters, and finally (iii) a discussion of emerging “safety technologies” that promise to improve the safety of future helicopters and operations.