The FeelFlight Grip is a newly developed and patented product inspired by the FAA FlySafe mission to reduce fatal loss of control accidents. The basic component is the unique haptic feedback control grip. This grip signals the pilot “angle of attack” and “inclination” by pulsing the fingers. This is accomplished by electronic solenoids inside the grip. Best rate of climb – Vy, is signaled at the ring finger. Best angle of climb – Vx, is signaled at the middle finger, and STALL is signaled at the index finger. Inadvertent stalls often become fatal because the pilot does not have his turn coordinated. This can result in a spin. There are signaling pins on the left side of the grip and right side of the grip that signal “inclination.” The signal pulses the thumb on the left or the lower index finger on the right. Inclination is the same signal broadcast by the conventional “ball” instrument. Proper pilot maintenance of angle of attack and inclination is crucial for safe flight. Angle of attack sensor The FeelFlight system includes a state-of-the-art magnetic encoder to measure angle of attack. This sensor is small, light and easily mounts in an inspection plate (included) or anywhere on the bottom of the wing. The encoder technology in our sensor gives a highly accurate measurement of AOA with a small light vane. It is also very impervious to weather. Control Module The processing of the input and output happens in a small box that fits in a standard 3 1/8” instrument hole. This box receives the AOA signal and also contains the accelerometer chip that measures and transmits the inclination position. It can power two FeelFlight haptic grips. In addition, the signals in the grip are simultaneously signaled on the face of the control module. LED lamps duplicate the pulsing pattern. This is called “multiple modality” and is very powerful in obtaining the attention of humans. The FeelFlight control module also has an audio signal that starts at Vx and accelerates in tone as stall is approached. The audio signal also shares the same pulsing pattern of the haptic pins and the LED lamps. This is triple modality and is considered the maximum sensory technique for obtaining the attention of any equipment operator. It has proven very effective in the FeelFlight system. |
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