FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS

FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS

1. The flight controls are all those mechanisms integrated in an aircraft whose objective is to operate the control surfaces, thus varying the orientation and position of the device.

   • MECHANICAL OR MANUAL FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS
     • Mechanical or manual flight control systems are the most basic method of controlling an aircraft.
       • They were used in early airplanes and are currently used in small airplanes where aerodynamic forces are not excessive.
         • A manual flight control system uses a collection of mechanical parts such as pushrods, tension cables, pulleys, counterweights, and sometimes chains to transmit the forces applied to the cockpit controls directly to the control surfaces.
   • HYDROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS
     • Hydraulically actuated control surfaces help overcome these limitations.
       • With hydraulic flight control systems, the size and performance of the aircraft are limited by economy rather than by the muscular strength of the pilot.
         • At first, only partially reinforced systems were used in which the pilot could still feel some of the downforce on the control surfaces (feedback).
   • FLY-BY-WIRE SYSTEM
     • A fly-by-wire (FBW) system replaces the manual flight control of an aircraft with an electronic interface.
       • The movements of the flight controls are converted into electronic signals transmitted by wires (hence the term flight by wire),
         • and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators on each control surface to provide the expected response.
           • Computer commands are also entered without the pilot's knowledge to stabilize the aircraft and perform other tasks.
             • Electronics for aircraft flight control systems is part of the field known as avionics.

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