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
Instrument Runway A runway equipped with electronic and visual navigation aids for which a precision or nonprecision approach procedure having straight-in landing minimums has been>[...]
Aero Linx: Alaska Airmen's Association The Alaska Airmen's Association includes over 2,000 members—we are one of the largest General Aviation communities in the country. We s>[...]
Also: Flt School Security, G600 Steep-Approach, Honduran Aid, PW545D Cert Two aircraft performing at the Fort Lauderdale Air Show clipped wings during a routine last Sunday, spooki>[...]
Also: SkyReach Parts Support, Piper Service Ctr, Airliner Near-Miss, Airshow London The Judge overseeing Icon's convoluted Chapter 11 process has approved $9 million in Chapter 11 >[...]
Also: Paramotor Champ's, Electric Ultralight, ICON BK Update, Burt Rutan at Oshkosh! The Popular Rotorcraft Association is reaching out for help in rebuilding their private runway >[...]