Helicopter emergency escape

The three-man Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) Emergency Escape System, the first system known to be fully qualified and operational in a rotary wing aircraft, will have two modes of operation: one providing for full in-flight egress, and the other for the severance of the rotor blades for a return to base as a fixed-wing aircraft. This paper describes the escape system's design principles, integration into the aircraft, qualification, and performance.