Aircraft Flight Control System - Design and Performance

Question: Discuss about theAircraft Flight Control System, Design and Performance. Answer: Introduction An aircraft flight control system is a system that consists of a collection of both electronic and mechanical equipment that helps an aircraft to be flown in the air consistently and in a secure manner. It comprises of primary and secondary systems(Cook 135). Primary Control Systems A primary system includes elevator, rudder, and ailerons that are responsible for the safeness of the aircraft during flight. The elevator also referred to as elevator is mechanically linked to the control column located on the flight deck and mainly changes the pitch attitude of an aircraft. The rudder is a flexible surface connected to fin, or the vertical stabilizer which is a fixed surface thereby helps in controlling the aircraft movement about its perpendicular axis. The effectiveness of the rudder increases with speed therefore for a desired reaction slight deflections at high velocity and high deflections at lower velocity may be necessary(Filippone 375). The ailerons move in opposite direction from each other due to their attachment on the external trailing edge of each wing. They deflect upwardly or downwardly and are connected to the control wheel by cables, pulleys and bell cranks. The ailerons principally control the roll about the longitudinal axis. The movement of the primary control systems changes the flow of air and pressure distribution over and around the air foil thereby affecting the lift and drag forces created by airfoil and control surface combination. Hence permitting the pilot to control the airplane about its rotational axes (Harris 511). Secondary Control Systems The secondary systems include wing flaps, spoilers, trim system and leading edge devices which develop the performance characteristics of the aircraft and in turn relieving the pilot from too much control forces. The flaps increase lift and drag forces by creating cooperation between the high cruising velocity and the low landing speed. The spoilers are installed in the wings to interrupt the smooth flow of air and consequently to increase the drag force as it reduces the lift. Aircraft flight can also be electrically controlled whereby a computer system is interposed between the ultimate control actuators and the operator, and the flight control movements are converted to electronic signals that are conveyed by wires. This system modifies the manual input of the pilot about control parameters(Hoppe 341). Sometimes the electrical wires are replaced by optical fiber cables which can transfer signals at a higher rate. Besides, there is also an intelligent flight system of controlling aircraft that aims to compensate airplane damage or failure during flight. Research Method The research method used to come up with this report is a pure basic research method that is experimental and theoretical based. Its expectation in this context is the advancement of knowledge in the aeronautical techniques, associated technologies and software and hardware components in the control system of an aircraft. New ideas that may be applied in future can also be generated(John 144). Scientific Principles Applied They include the elements that must be assured to maintain an aircraft in flight. They include lift of the airplane, propulsion of the plane and lastly its stability. In general, these principles include the forces that are acting on the plane and the ones that need to be produced so as to counter them. They include; Lift and Weight The gravitational force always tends to pull objects downwards. Thus a vertical force will be required to be produced so as to keep the plane in flight at a constant height. This is the lift force and its generated by the flow of air around the wings of the plane. The airplane exhibits a streamlined shape thus according to the principle of Bernoulli the plane experiences higher speeds on the upper part of its wings making the pressure strongly decrease on the upper part producing an upward force known as lift which helps to keep the weight of the plane in balance(McClamroch 406). Drag and Thrust The air that moves around the body of the airplane exerts some force of friction which becomes larger as the speed of the plane increases. This force of friction is called the drag force and tends to oppose the movement of the plane thus has to be compensated for to keep the plane in flight. Thus thrust force provided by the engine helps to take care of this and keep the plane in constant propulsion Stability An airplane is stable when the couples around its center of gravity and the resultant forces in the flight are zero. The stability will thus be maintained by the ailerons, rudder and horizontal stabilizers. The ailerons act in opposition in that when the left-hand side aileron is raised the right-hand side drops thus enabling control of the movement of the roll. The rudder helps to control the movement of the yaw thus preventing the nose of the plane from moving left to right and ensuring the stability of the plane(Tischler 621). The horizontal stabilizers control pitching of the plane preventing it from turning around its Centre of gravity; a situation whereby the nose moves upwards and bottom word. Conclusion Reliable, affordable and safe air transportation is crucial to the quality of life and the growth of an economy. The control system of an aircraft, therefore, remains an ultimate point of interest as it brings concerns on security and safeties of passengers. To achieve the flight instructor training, standardization of the design of flight deck equipment and pilot to pilot communication should be stressed. Thus in addition to the primary and secondary systems of flight control, an adaptable automation system should be more stressed in all planes as they bring about high performance when combined with the operator rather than the operator alone(Yechout 314). Although it tends to jeopardize the manual skills of the operator, it remains the best alternative and very reliable since in the eventualities of emergency the reaction of the operator is slower as compared to a computerized system. With the continued development of technology, the global transportation structure would be boosted by the introduction of supersonic flight. Work Cited Cook, Michael V. Flight Dynamics Principles. London: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012. Filippone, Antonio. Flight Performance of Fixed and Rotary Wing Aircraft. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Harris, Professor Don. Human Performance on the Flight Deck. Hull: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 2012. Hoppe, Stephen G. Stephen G. Hoppe. Washington Dc: A feasibility study of self-learning adaptive flight control for high performance aircraft, 2012. John, Miner. Manual Reversion Flight Control System for A-10 Aircraft. Beijing: Defense Technical Information Center, 2014. McClamroch, N. Harris. Steady Aircraft Flight and Performance. London: Princeton University Press, 2013. Tischler, M B. Advances In Aircraft Flight Control. New York: CRC Press, 2015. Yechout, Thomas R. Introduction to Aircraft Flight Mechanics. Manchester: AIAA, 2013.