![]() With such a system, pilots can input various controls within the cockpit, and flight control computers will calculate the optimal setting and positioning of surfaces and adjust rudders, flaps, ailerons, and more in response. As such, flight controls are operated and actuated through wires and electronic signals that are provided by flight control computers. With a servo valve connected to a mechanical feedback linkage, surfaces can be held at specific positions as dictated by pilot control.Īs a more recent addition to flight control systems, the fly-by-wire system is one in which manual flight controls have been replaced with electronics. Through the use of hydraulic pumps, pressure can be built up and utilized by actuators to operate a control surface. To operate hydraulic flight control surfaces, the system consists of hydraulic pump parts, reservoirs, valves, pipes, filters, and more. ![]() Through the use of compressed fluids within an enclosed component, hydraulics allow for pilots to operate heavy controls with ease where only muscular strength could be used before. In response to the implementation of more complex and heavier flight control surfaces on larger aircraft, engineers began to utilize hydraulics in order to overcome actuation limitations. In some cases where there is a need for a stronger mechanical force to overcome aerodynamics, servo tabs may be used which are small hinged components placed on each control surface.Īs aircraft continued to grow larger over time and increased their speed capabilities, the mechanical flight control system proved inefficient for combatting stronger forces. As smaller aircraft are typically not subjected to the same aerodynamic forces faced by those travelling at higher airspeeds or those with larger control surface areas, mechanical flight control systems serve well for actuation. Through the use of tension cables, weights, pulleys, and other such components, flight control surfaces are manually operated by the pilots through cockpit controls. In this blog, we will discuss the three main types of aircraft flight control systems, allowing you to better understand how different aircraft models are handled.Īs the most basic option between the three common flight control systems, the mechanical system has served many early and light aircraft in which there is not a need for combatting high aerodynamic forces. While many aircraft may feature similar primary and secondary controls for piloting, the means of operating such surfaces may come in various forms of flight control systems. ![]() Through surfaces such as flaps, slats, slots, rudders, and their respective cockpit controls, pilots can govern the flight dynamics of an aircraft in order to assist in flight operations. What Are the Main Types of Aircraft Flight Control Systemsįor an aircraft to optimally navigate through the sky and maintain efficient heavier-than-air flight, they require a number of control surfaces, linkages, and other related components that work together. ![]()
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