Instrumentation system for ship air wake measurement

This paper presents an instrumentation system developed for off-ship measurement of ship air wakes using an instrumented radio controlled (RC) helicopter. We propose the use of an IMU as a sensor to measure air wake in the form of induced vibrations on the helicopter while it maneuvers through regions of active air wake. The proposed system makes use of Back Propagation neural networks to compensate for the vibrational noise contributed by pilot inputs. The instrumentation system was tested on a modified training vessel in the Chesapeake Bay, which provided a wide range of wind conditions.