AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

Program Studi Teknik Penerbangan & Teknik Aeronautika

FAKULTAS TEKNOLOGI KEDIRGANTARAAN

UNIVERSITAS MARSEKAL SURYADARMA

Createdby:TriSusilo,ST,MT

INTRODUCTION

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Introduction

At the end of this study, you should be able to :

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Identify the three axes of rotation.

Describe the surfaces and devices used to control the flight of an aircraft.
Explain how aircraft flight is controlled.
Describe the basic flight maneuvers an airplane can make.
Identify the actions needed for carrying out basic flight maneuvers.
Explain the cause and effect of a stall.

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Introduction

Flight controls have advanced considerably throughout the years. In the

earliest biplanes flown by the pioneers flight control was achieved by
warping wings and control surfaces by means of wires attached to the flying
controls in the cockpit.

Morane Saulnier Monoplane before the 1913 Aerial Derby

(Courtesy of the Royal Aero Club)
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Stability

9 Positive static stability the initial tendency of the aircraft to return to the
original state of equilibrium after being disturbed.
9 Neutral static stability the initial tendency of the aircraft to remain in a new
condition after its equilibrium has been disturbed.
9 Negative static stability the initial tendency of the aircraft to continue away
from the original state of equilibrium after being disturbed.

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Stability

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Stability

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Stability

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Stability

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FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES

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Flight Control Surfaces

The flight control systems a pilot uses to control the forces of flight, and the
aircrafts direction and attitude. It should be noted that flight control systems and
characteristics can vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft flown.
The most basic flight control system designs are mechanical and date back to early
aircraft. They operate with a collection of mechanical parts such as rods, cables,
pulleys, and sometimes chains to transmit the forces of the flight deck controls to
the control surfaces.
Mechanical flight control systems are still used today in small general and sport
category aircraft where the aerodynamic forces are not excessive.

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Flight Control Surfaces

The flight controls keep the airplane at the necessary attitude during flight.
They have movable surfaces on the wing and the empennage.
Aircraft flight control systems are classified as primary and secondary;

Primary flight control systems; consist of those that are required to safely
control an airplane during flight. These include the ailerons, elevator (or stabilator),
and rudder. The primary flight control system moves the airplane about three axes:
lateral, longitudinal, and vertical.

Secondary flight control systems; improve the performance characteristics of

the airplane, or relieve the pilot of excessive control forces. Examples of secondary
control systems are wing flaps and trim systems.

Supplementary flight control systems; examples of supplementary control

systems are spoiler, speed brake and auto pilot.

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Flight Control Surfaces

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Flight Control Surfaces

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Flight Control Surfaces

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Flight Control Surfaces

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Flight Control Surfaces

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Flight Control Surfaces

9 aircraft controls
9 movement
9 axes of rotation
9 type of stability

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Flight Control Surfaces

Ailerons
Ailerons control roll about the
longitudinal axis. The ailerons
are attached to the outboard
trailing edge of each wing and
move in the opposite direction
from each other. Ailerons are
connected by cables, bell
cranks, pulleys and/or push-pull
tubes to a control wheel or
control stick.

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Flight Control Surfaces

Elevator
The elevator controls pitch about the lateral axis. Like the ailerons on small aircraft,
the elevator is connected to the control column in the flight deck by a series of
mechanical linkages. Aft movement of the control column deflects the trailing edge of
the elevator surface up. This is usually referred to as up elevator.
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Flight Control Surfaces

Rudder
The rudder controls movement of the aircraft about its vertical axis. This motion is
called yaw. Like the other primary control surfaces, the rudder is a movable surface
hinged to a fixed surface, in this case to the vertical stabilizer, or fin. Moving the left or
right rudder pedal controls the rudder.
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Flight Control Surfaces

Adverse Yaw
Since

the

downward

deflected

aileron

produces more lift as evidenced by the wing

raising, it also produces more drag. This
added drag causes the wing to slow down
slightly. This results in the aircraft yawing
toward the wing which had experienced an
increase in lift (and drag). From the pilots
perspective, the yaw is opposite the direction
of the bank. The adverse yaw is a result of
differential drag and the slight difference in
the velocity of the left and right wings.

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Flight Control Surfaces

Flaps are the most common high-lift devices

used on aircraft. These surfaces, which are
attached to the trailing edge of the wing,
increase both lift and induced drag for any given
AOA.
Flaps allow a compromise between high cruising
speed and low landing speed, because they may
be extended when needed, and retracted into
the wings structure when not needed.
There are four common types of flaps: plain,
split, slotted, and fowler flaps.
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Flight Control Surfaces

Leading Edge Devices

High-lift devices also can be applied to the
leading edge of the airfoil. The most common
types are fixed slots, movable slats, leading edge
flaps, and cuffs.

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Flight Control Surfaces

Flaperons combine both aspects of flaps and ailerons. In addition to

controlling the bank angle of an aircraft like conventional ailerons,
flaperons can be lowered together to function much the same as a
dedicated set of flaps. The pilot retains separate controls for ailerons
and flaps. A mixer is used to combine the separate pilot inputs into this
single set of control surfaces called flaperons.

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Flight Control Surfaces

Spoilers
Found on many gliders and some
aircraft, high drag devices called
spoilers are deployed from the
wings to spoil the smooth airflow,
reducing lift and increasing drag.
On gliders, spoilers are most often
used to control rate of descent for
accurate landings.
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Flight Control Surfaces

Trim Tabs
The most common installation on small aircraft is a single trim tab attached to the trailing
edge of the control surfaces. Most trim tabs are manually operated by a small, vertically
mounted control wheel. The flight deck control includes a trim tab position indicator.
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Flight Control Surfaces

Autopilot
Autopilot is an automatic flight control system that keeps an aircraft in level
flight or on a set course. It can be directed by the pilot, or it may be coupled to a
radio navigation signal. Autopilot reduces the physical and mental demands on
a pilot and increases safety. The common features available on an autopilot are
altitude and heading hold.

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Flight Control Surfaces

Canard
The canard design utilizes the concept of two lifting surfaces, the canard
functioning as a horizontal stabilizer located in front of the main wings. In
effect, the canard is an airfoil similar to the horizontal surface on a
conventional aft-tail design. The difference is that the canard actually
creates lift and holds the nose up, as opposed to the aft-tail design which
exerts downward force on the tail to prevent the nose from rotating
downward.

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Aircraft Flight Deck

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Aircraft Flight Deck

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Aircraft Flight Deck

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FLY BY WIRE CONCEPT

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Aircraft Flight Control

The movement of the flying control surfaces in response to the movement of the
cockpit controls may be achieved;
9 Mechanically - The control surfaces are connected directly to the cockpit
controls by a system of cables, rods, levers and chains.
9 Hydraulically The control surfaces are moved by hydraulic power. The
control valve may still be operated mechanically.
9 Electrically Movement of the cockpit control sends an electrical signal to the
control surface. The movement of the control may be achieved hydraulic.

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Mechanically Flight Control

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Hydraulically Flight Control

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Electrically Flight Control

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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The pilot or autopilot orders are sent to the flight control computers.
The orders are converted into an aircraft objective.
The computers elaborate surface deflections to achieve the objective.
Each relevant surface receives a deflection order.
The Flight Control Computers monitor the surface positions and check they
meet the deflection orders.

" The aircraft response is compared with the aircraft objective to reach the pilot
or the autopilot demand.

Remark :
What ever the pilot orders, the computers have protections which overcome pilot
inputs to prevent;
- excessive maneuvers (no structural overstressing),
- exceedance of the safe flight envelope.

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

LAWS
The deflection orders are processed by the flight control system according to
elaborated control laws.
The aircraft is controlled in all axes through:
- the pitch control law,
- the lateral control law (roll and yaw).

LAW RECONFIGURATION
9 Control laws automatically switch from normal to alternate or direct according
to the nature and number of failures.
9 After loss of normal laws, the reconfiguration of control laws is different for
the pitch axis and for the lateral axis.

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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Fly By Wire Philosophy

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