Thu, Nov 10, 2005
The Aerion supersonic business jet will have a state-of-the-art
fly-by-wire control system, reducing aircraft weight, improving
performance, enhancing safety, increasing reliability and
augmenting stability across a transonic speed range.
"Fly-by-wire technology employing mild stability augmentation
allows us to tune handling qualities over a wide range of operating
speeds," notes Aerion Chief Technology Officer Richard Tracy. The
flight envelope of the supersonic aircraft varies from below 120
knots in full-flaps landing configuration to Mach 1.6 at high speed
cruise.
Fly-by-wire also permits designers to relax some natural
stability requirements, allowing the aircraft design to be
optimized for cruise flight.
Fly-by-wire technology can reduce pilot workload during rapid
transitions from supersonic flight to subsonic flight, as the
aerodynamic center of pressure shifts. A fuel transfer system,
which is also planned for the Aerion jet to reduce trim drag, will
also adequately compensate for this shift, but fly-by-wire with
stability augmentation ensures excellent handling qualities during
such speed changes.
Aerion calculates that a fly-by-wire system will reduce aircraft
weight. Of more importance, it will eliminate the needs for complex
mechanical and hydraulic systems with high maintenance and
difficult certification requirements.
Fly-by-wire provides pilots with more precise handling
characteristics and the ability to extract maximum performance from
the aircraft when necessary without concern for stalling or
overstressing the airframe. Aerion concluded that the benefits of
fly-by-wire technology for a supersonic aircraft easily justified
the cost to design such a system.
More News
Back-Taxi A term used by air traffic controllers to taxi an aircraft on the runway opposite to the traffic flow. The aircraft may be instructed to back-taxi to the beginning of the>[...]
“Our WAI members across the nation are grateful for the service and sacrifice of the formidable group of WASP who served so honorably during World War II. This group of brave>[...]
“Many aspiring pilots fall short of their goal due to the cost of flight training, so EAA working with the Ray Foundation helps relieve some of the financial pressure and mak>[...]
Blind Speed The rate of departure or closing of a target relative to the radar antenna at which cancellation of the primary radar target by moving target indicator (MTI) circuits i>[...]
Aero Linx: International Airline Medical Association (IAMA) The International Airline Medical Association, formerly known as the Airline Medical Directors Association (AMDA) was fo>[...]