BADA Family H - A Simple Helicopter Performance Model for ATM Applications

While several aircraft performance models (APM) for fixed-wing aircraft are commonly used by the Air Traffic Management (ATM) community, no such model is available for rotorcraft. In an attempt to fill this gap, the authors have developed Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) Family H, an extension to the BADA model dedicated to helicopter aircraft. The objective of this new APM is to provide, using a simple theoretical model and for various helicopter types, realistic estimates of helicopter performance to support trajectory prediction and fuel burn estimation in ATM applications such as Air Traffic Control simulations or environmental assessment tools. This paper describes the design and structure of the new APM, and the methodology used to develop a model instance for a specific helicopter type. The initial validation results presented for three helicopter models demonstrate a good fit between helicopter performances computed with the new APM and both theoretical expectations and reference performance data. Future work will address known limitations of the model, in terms of supported helicopter types and operations, and further validation of its suitability to ATM applications.