美国陆军第101战斗航空旅的直升机飞行员正在评估一种旨在让他们在飞行中解决生理需求的系统。士兵们将评估该系统是否能帮助解决飞行员在长时间任务中面临的问题：为避免上厕所而限制液体摄入。
U.S. Army Helicopter pilots in the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade are evaluating a system designed to let them relieve themselves in flight. Soldiers will evaluate whether it can help address a problem pilots face during prolonged missions: limiting fluid intake to avoid restroom breaks.
该旅于10月5日至7日在肯塔基州坎贝尔堡完成了陆军首次使用先进飞行中通用排泄系统（AIRUS）的直升机试飞。此次测试检查了该系统在陆军直升机上的适航性。
The brigade completed the Army’s first-ever helicopter test flights using the Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System, or AIRUS, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from Oct. 5 to 7. The testing examined the system’s airworthiness for use on Army helicopters.
来自1-101攻击营“无情”、6-101突击直升机营“鹰击”和7-101重型吊装营“鹰吊”的机组人员完成了人因调查，检查了AIRUS的适配性，并测试了其在飞行中让他们解决生理需求的能力。机组人员认为，AIRUS将帮助他们延长空中作战时间。
Aircrews from 1-101 Attack Battalion “No Mercy,” 6-101 Assault Helicopter Battalion “Eagle Assault” and 7-101 Heavy Lift Battalion “Eagle Lift” completed human-factors surveys, checked AIRUS for fit and tested its ability to let them relieve themselves in flight. The crews believe AIRUS will help them stay in the air longer.
该旅的全面健康与健身（H2F）团队寻求了开发AIRUS的航空航天医疗系统公司AIRION的帮助，以减少飞行员故意脱水以减少任务中上厕所需求的人数。
The brigade’s Holistic Health and Fitness, or H2F, team sought out AIRION, the aerospace medical systems company that developed AIRUS, to help reduce the number of pilots purposefully dehydrating themselves to limit the need for restroom breaks during missions.
“我们有飞行员告诉我们他们会战术性地脱水，”第101战斗航空旅H2F团队的首席营养师吉娜·拜萨上尉在陆军新闻稿中说道。“所以我们想，我们如何才能获得一个专门设计用于让他们在空中使用厕所的系统，这样他们就能保持水分并优化表现？”根据陆军对测试的描述，测试了AIRUS的AH-64阿帕奇直升机飞行员、首席军官2级科林·麦卡利斯特表示，该系统与之前使用含凝固剂的袋子的系统不同。
“We had pilots tell us they tactically dehydrate,” Capt. Gena Baisa, lead dietitian for the 101st CAB H2F team, said per an Army release. “So, we thought, how can we get a system specifically designed to allow them to use the bathroom in air so they can stay hydrated and optimize their performance?”Chief Warrant Officer 2 Collin McAllister, an AH-64 Apache pilot who tested AIRUS, said the system differs from previous systems that used bags containing coagulant, according to an Army account of the testing.
“随着我们准备在需要长时间支援地面力量的争夺环境中作战，这可能是一个巨大的贡献，”麦卡利斯特在该描述中说道。
“As we look to fight in contested environments where we will need to stay a lot longer to support the ground force, this could be a great contribution,” McAllister said in the account.
红石兵工厂的代表观察了测试，以便对AIRUS的飞行适航性提出建议。评估的一个关键方面是评估不同体型的飞行人员佩戴该系统时的活动能力。
Representatives from Redstone Arsenal observed the test to provide recommendations on AIRUS’ flight suitability. A critical aspect of the evaluation involved assessing how aircrews with different body types could move while wearing the system.
“我们测试了AIRUS，以检验其适航性，并从逃生测试开始，”航空飞行试验局的人因工程师伊丽莎白·罗赫努斯在声明中表示。“我们让第5百分位的最小参与者和第95百分位的最大参与者围绕飞机进行活动，观察他们是否能够安全地进出飞机。”根据陆军的说法，此次测试标志着一个发展里程碑，使该系统过渡到陆军的旋翼机队列。根据公司创始人兼首席执行官科尔特·塞曼的说法，这是AIRION首次与陆军进行测试，也是首次在直升机上测试该系统。
“We tested AIRUS to see its airworthiness and started with egress testing,” said Elizabeth Rhonenus, a human-factors engineer with the Aviation Flight Test Directorate, in the release. “We took our smallest participant around the fifth percentile and our largest around the 95th percentile and saw if they could get in and out of the aircraft safely.”The testing marked a developmental milestone, transitioning the system into the Army’s rotary-wing fleet, according to the Army. It was AIRION’s first time testing with the Army and its first time testing the system on helicopters, according to Colt Seman, the company’s founder and chief executive officer.
“我们进行测试是为了将该系统整合到阿帕奇、黑鹰和奇努克直升机中，”塞曼在声明中表示。“飞行员能够佩戴AIRUS，穿戴它，并能够使用它。它很舒适，并且能够正常工作。”拜萨表示，该旅正在为即将到来的任务做准备，包括远程大规模空中突击概念以及新型MV-75夏延二型直升机延长飞行时间的能力。
“We tested to get the system integrated into the Apache, Black Hawk, and Chinook helicopters,” Seman said per the release. “The pilots were able to put on AIRUS, wear it, and be able to use it. It was comfortable, and it worked.”Baisa said the brigade is preparing for upcoming missions, including the Long Range Large Scale Air Assault concept and the new MV-75 Cheyenne II helicopters’ ability to stay in flight longer.
“我们现在正在奠定基础，以支持我们的士兵将要面临的即将到来的任务，”拜萨表示。“我们正在研究L2A2以及新型MV-75夏延二型直升机延长飞行时间的能力，我们希望提高士兵的作战准备度。AIRUS是一项能力，可能有助于我们在整个企业层面实现这一目标。”
“We are setting the foundation now to support the upcoming missions our Soldiers will face,” Baisa said. “Looking at L2A2 and the new MV-75 Cheyenne II helicopters’ ability to stay in flight longer, we want to improve Soldier readiness. The AIRUS is a capability that could help us achieve it across the enterprise.”