Helicopter Brownout

Research performed in 2009 used Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from RADARSAT-2 and was analyzed for detection of helicopter brownout. Helicopter brownout occurs when downwash disturbs the dust and sand beneath the aircraft during takeoff, landing, and low altitude operations. Brownout may lead to pilot spatial disorientation and loss of control, causing helicopter damage or destruction, as well as personnel injury or death. The likelihood of helicopter brownout is related to soil moisture content, particle size distribution, and surface texture.

This research explored the polarimetric signatures of soils and determined whether these characteristics can be used to predict areas that are susceptible to helicopter brownout. Preliminary results show that helicopter brownout regions can be predicted by means of a simple threshold.