U.S. Army pilot takes Raider side stick in first flight of Sikorsky FVL offerings
Posted on September 3, 2020 by Dan Parsons
On Aug. 19, a U.S. Army pilot sat in the left seat and took control of the S-97 Raider for most of an 80-minute flight, the first time anyone other than a Sikorsky test pilot had flown the compound coaxial helicopter.
Charlie Packard, an Army civilian experimental test pilot assigned to the Redstone Test Center, Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), was the first government pilot to fly a Sikorsky-built operational prototype developed under the Future Vertical Lift program seeking speedier, longer-ranged, more maneuverable military rotorcraft. Packard is designated as the Army’s test director for Sikorsky’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competitive prototype program.
https://www.verticalmag.com/news/army-pilot-flies-sikorsky-s97-raider/
