Military Aircraft Flight Control

Abstract

This chapter presents major stages in the evolution of military aircraft flight control systems. As the flight speed steadily increased, it was necessary to develop new flight control systems to replace the old pilot control with mechanical connections to the control surfaces. The first major step is the pilot with a side stick/rudder pedal or an autopilot, who sends commands converted to electrical signals to a flight control computer and, in turn, interprets and sends wired electrical commands to the electrohydraulic actuators of each control surface and receives electrical signals from the motion transducer of each control surface. This stage of development of aeronautical technologies has been called the fly-by-wire flight control system. The latest major step in the evolution of military aircraft flight control systems is the replacement of copper wires with the fiber-optic cables, which have a much lower weight and a much higher capacity to carry digital information (light or photons). The command imposed by the pilot with a side stick/rudder pedal or autopilot is converted into light signals to the flight control computer and to the electrical or electrohydraulic actuators of each control surface and receives light signals from the motion transducer of each control surface. The latest flight control system is called fly-by-light system.