Does Anyone Know What These Are?

[Rex]

I've been searching around, but it's hard to find info on them when you don't know what they're called. "Fan looking things on the end of a stick +Apache helicopter" doesn't get it done.

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by Rex

[Kang]

Those cute little things are the air data sensors. Used for speed and orientation measurements and whatnot.

[M1Combat]

They're high tech wind socks

 

[Devrim]

Air Data Sensors as mentioned above.

ADS sensors. Quick Start Manual page 33 & 187.

[Rex]

Awesome, thank you all so much!

Edited May 8, 2022 by Rex

[Rex]

FWIW, I downloaded this thing to try and identify them, but if they're in there, I don't see them. It's pretty cool otherwise, though.

 

[ddc196]

The Air Data System (ADS) consists of two independent air data subsystems: the Flight Management Computer (FMC) and the Helicopter Air Data System (HADS). The HADS is comprised of the High Integrated Air Data Computer (HIADC) and two Airspeed And Direction Sensor (AADS) probes. The AADS probes sense airspeed magnitude, direction, and free airstream temperature. The HIADC uses this data, along with ambient and pitot pressure sensors, to compute air mass related data. The FMC computes pressure altitude, pitot airspeed, and density altitude related information. The FMC receives longitudinal and lateral true air speeds, static temperature, and non-filtered true air speeds from the HIADC.

That's from the DCS manual.

There's also a diagram on page 187.

 

Edit: Just noticed Devrim said the same thing in a much shorter post.

Edited May 8, 2022 by ddc196

[lahsoldier]

Cow balls like you find on the bumper hitch of some trucks?

[Razor18]

So in short, this is a Pitot-tube plus static port for airspeed and air pressure, a 2 DOF (2 degree of freedom: turning around the vertical axis and tilting up and down) pointer (into the relative wind at any time) and a thermometer integrated in one sensor unit (or pair of them for backup/redundancy).

The 2DOF (most likely) controls the Velocity Vector/Flight Path Marker on your IHADDS by simply putting the VV symbol to the point in space, where the physical sensor is pointing to at any moment.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Razor18

[Floyd1212]

How can they even function at all in the downwash of the main rotor?

[Razor18]

Probably aerodynamically balanced out for the downwash evenly?...

[Razor18]

https://rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/collection/air-data/helicopter-air-data-probe