Re: Fly by Wire

From: Alistair Maclean (alistair_at_ld50macca.demon.co.uk)
Date: 12/15/03 

Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 19:12:18 +0000

This man sounds like a dyed in the wool Boeing man.

The airbus crash, last I heard, was due to pilot induced engine stall.
Not the plane's fault although perhaps it could be argued that engine
stalls should have been programmed out of the pilot's capabilities?

In message <bfdfc3e8.0312150657.a61db86@posting.google.com>, Thane
Hubbell <thaneh@softwaresimple.com> writes
>FBW is interesting. I won't file on Airbus airplanes partially
>because of FBW. While many other airplanes use computer assist -
>nearly all have a feature called Manual reversion - whereby the flight
>controls can be directly manipulated by the pilot in the event of
>failure.
>
>Airbus airplanes do not have any sort of manual reversion. In
>addition, they make, in my opinion, excessive use of composite
>materials - whith unproven track record as far as cycles before
>failure.
>
>Another "feature" of FBW in civilian airplanes is that the computer
>will not let you exceed the DESIGN limitiations of the aircraft.
>There was a crash of an Airbus in Europe at an airshow caused in part
>by this "feature". Most aircraft have some level of capability beyond
>the "design" limitations and had the pilots been able to make use of
>this - the crash MIGHT not have occurred.
>
>So - I check my equipment when flying and I schedule around Airbus
>airplanes. But that's just me.
>
>Arnold Trembley <arnold.trembley@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
>news:<3FDD6100.39DD8124@worldnet.att.net>...
>> "Peter E.C. Dashwood" wrote:
>> >
>> > "Judson McClendon" <judmc@sunvaley0.com> wrote in message
>> > news:20031213084227.375$Dn@news.newsreader.com...
>> > > The purpose of any criticism should be to help, not harm. As far as
>> resisting
>> > > or promoting new technology, that should depend on the benefits (or lack)
>> of
>> > > the new technology. Take a look at 'fly by wire' airplanes. A 'fly by
>> wire'
>> > > airplane is vastly more complex than a conventional one. There are many
>> > > advantages to 'fly by wire', but one of the most important ones
>> > >that it
>> is
>> > > MUCH EASIER to fly a FBW plane.
>> >
>> > I won't be drawn into a discussion on FBW, but you should realise that
>> > opinion is not unanimous on this. Certainly, there is less control
>> > pressure... <G>
>>
>> In the mid-1970's my father (now a retired aeronautical engineer)
>> worked on a fly-by-wire control system for an existing fighter plane.
>> The test pilots absolutely hated it. It was like flying a plane with
>> the joystick from a Pong game. They couldn't "feel" what the aircraft
>> was doing. The engineers had to go back to the drawing board to build
>> in simulated feedback, so the pilots would feel resistance in the
>> stick as they pushed the control surfaces farther. It was quite
>> complicated.
>>
>> I saw a documentary on the History Channel that asserted the F117
>> Stealth Fighter could not be flown without computerized fly-by-wire.
>> It's unstable in all three axes: pitch, roll, and yaw. The pilot
>> commands the plane to do something. The computer figures out how to
>> move the control surfaces to give the the pilot what he wants.
>>
>> I don't think FBW systems are written in COBOL... 

-- 
Alistair Maclean
Talk is cheap. Supply exceeds Demand.

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