FLIGHT

CONTROLS
 Axes of an
Aeroplane
They are the
longitudinal, the lateral
and the normal axes
o Actuating flying
controls These are:
There are 3 methods Manual
of actuating flying Partially powered
controls. Fully powered
 Basic Principle of
Fully Manual
Control System
A manual flight control
system uses a collection
of mechanical parts such
as:
 to transmit the forces applied to the
….pushrods, tension cockpit controls directly to the
cables, pulleys, control surfaces.
counterweights,
sometimes chains
 Power Assisted
although partly provided by the
o A system of flying pilot's effort, is supplemented by
controls in which the electrical, hydraulic, or
force needed to move pneumatic means.
the surface,
  Fully Powered
Controls
None of the force to
move the control surface
is supplied by the pilot.
 all the necessary power to
o The only force the move the control surface is
pilot supplies is that supplied by the aircraft’s
required to overcome hydraulic system.
system friction
and to move the servo
valve;
  Fly-by-Wire Flight control movements are
converted to electronic signals
Systems
transmitted by wires (fly-by-wire
A fly-by-wire (FBW) term),
system replaces manual and flight control computers
flight control of an determine how to move the
aircraft with an actuators at each control surface to
electronic interface. provide the expected response.
 perform other tasks and provide
Computer commands flight envelop protection.
are also input without • Reduces weight and pilot
the pilot's knowledge workload
to stabilize the
aircraft,
  Artificial Feel
so he does not feel any operational
(‘Q’ Feel)
load.
• In case of a powered • In the absence of this feel, Pilot
flight control system, tends to over-deflect the control
Pilot’s hand force does which may cause over loading
not go to the deflecting and damage to the structure.
surface,
 • By installing such
• Artificial feel is spring/mechanism,
created by installing resistance is felt at hand when
spring or other actuating controls in the cockpit.
mechanism to the
servo valves.
  Flight control
surfaces
The flight controls • An aircraft has primary and
enable the pilot to secondary control surfaces
rotate the aeroplane
about its three axes.
 • The primary effect if the
elevator is pitch “down or
 The elevator up.”

Controls the aeroplane • A forward movement of the

about its lateral axis. control column (stick) by the
pilot will cause the elevators
to go down and
a backward movement will
cause them to go up.
 which causes an increase of
tailplane lift and an upward force
on the underside of the control
o The effect produced surface that results in the aeroplane
by the elevators is to rotating about its lateral axis through
increase the camber the CG
of the tailplane when
and the nose being depressed.
the stick is pushed
forward,
 The opposite is true
when the stick is
pulled back,
the camber is negative
  The stabilator
• To overcome this disadvantage
In transonic flight transonic and supersonic
shockwaves generated aeroplanes are fitted with an ‘all-
by the tailplane render moving’ or ‘all-flying’ tailplane to
the elevator unusable. maintain manoeuvrability
  The rudder • The primary effect of rudder is
to yaw
• Mounted vertically
• Rudder deflection is controlled
on a post at the rear
by the movement of rudder
of the aeroplane
pedal by the pilot’s feet.
known as the fin or
vertical stabiliser.
 this causes the rudder surface to
move to the left against which the
To yaw the aeroplane to airflow produces a force that yaws
the left the aeroplane about its normal axis.
the left foot is pushed • The opposite is true if the right
forward foot is moved forward.
and
 This occurs because the outer wing
The secondary effect of travels faster than the inner wing,
rudder is roll in the thereby generating more lift.
same direction as yaw.
  The Ailerons • A sideways movement of the
control stick or a rotation of the
The primary effect of control wheel by the pilot causes
airleons is roll one aileron to go down
about its longitudinal and the aileron on the opposite wing
axis to go up.
 and an upward force on the
underside of the control surface at
that point, which results in that wing
being raised.
The downgoing aileron Simultaneously the aileron on the
increases the camber of other wing goes up resulting in a
the wing surface causing downward force on the upper
an increase of lift surface of the control that causes
that wing to go down.
o Secondary effect of • How does it happen?
roll is yaw in the
same side as roll.
 Adverse aileron
o The increased lift on the up-
yaw
going wing gives an increase
Explain how adverse in the induced drag,
aileron occurs? whereas the reduced lift on the
down-going wing gives a
decease in induced drag.
 which is opposite to the rolling
moment,
o The difference in that is, a roll to the left produces a
drag on the two yawing moment to the right.
wings produces a This is known as adverse aileron
yawing moment yaw.
 Methods to counter
Adverse Aileron
Yaw
• Methods of achieving this include
Equalizing the drag using Differential aileron, Frise
produced by the ailerons aileron, roll spoilers and rudder
helps to compensate for aileron cross-coupling.
adverse aileron yaw.
  Differential
Ailerons
These are designed so
that the upgoing aileron
is deflected through a
greater angle than the
downgoing aileron.
o This increases the so reduces the difference in drag
drag on the up between the two wings
aileron
and
reduces it on the down
ailerons and
 Frise Ailerons • These are designed so that the
leading edge of the upgoing
aileron projects beneath the wing,
causing high drag.
• The leading edge on the
downgoing aileron remain
shrouded and counter the adverse
yaw.
  Spoilers

Are flap type control

surfaces,
 they will reduce the adverse yaw a
• If roll spoilers are the downgoing wing will have an
used to augment the increase in drag due to raise
roll rate obtain from spoilers.
the ailerons,
 thereby reducing the wings lifting
capability,
As their name implies and when fully extended
the main purpose of considerably increasing aircraft
the surfaces is to drag.
disturb the smooth
airflow over the top of
the wing,
 Aileron-rudder
coupling
so that when the ailerons are
In this system the deflected the rudder automatically
aileron and rudder moves to counter the adverse yaw.
controls are
interconnected,
 Aileron A situation occurs at some high
reversal speed when the moment is so large
that there is total loss of lift when
What is aileron the aileron is deflected downward,
reversal? and
the aircraft rolls in the reverse
direction.
 Aileron reversal
• Ailerons are normally situated at the wing tip to the give the greatest rolling moment for the force
produce, by twisting loads on the wing.
• For instance a down going aileron will twist the wing tip and decrease wing incidence. The wing is
not a rigid structure and any twist will cause a decrease of aileron effectiveness.
• As IAS increase, a down going aileron will give more wing twist (decreased wing tip incidence)
• Eventually an IAS will be reached at which the decreased in tip incidence will give large down force
that the up force produced by the ailerons.
• This is called speed ‘aileron reversal’ the wing will go down rather than up as pilot intended.
• To reduce this effect the aileron could be mounted further inbound. Unfortunately, this would reduced
ailerons effectives.
 • One set at the wing tips for use only
 Overcoming at low speeds when the forces
aileron reversal involved are low and the other set
inboard for use at high speeds
Two sets of ailerons when the forces are greater.
may be fitted.
• At low speeds both sets of ailerons
work, but at high speed only the
inboard ailerons respond to
control unit.
  Speed breaks
Speed brakes are devices
to increase the drag of an
aircraft when it is
required to decelerate
quickly or to descend
rapidly.
  Cross coupling,
e.g. Elevons, Ruddervators and
roll and yaw Flaperons.
Some types of aircraft have Assignment:
the primary flight control Discus how elevons,
system arranged so that one Ruddervators, and Flaperons
type of control surface functions
combines its function with
that of another
  MASS • The purpose of mass
balancing is to prevent
BALANCING flutter
• This is accomplished by
fitting weights ahead of
the control hinge line to
move its centre of gravity
onto or ahead of the hinge
line
 It may be done in several ways
Aerodynamic Inset hinge
balancing Horn balance
Aerodynamic balance Internal balance
involves using the Balance Tab
aerodynamic forces on Anti-balance Tab
the control surface to
reduce the hinge Servo Tab
moment / stick force Spring Tab
  TRIM TABS Trim tabs are fitted to enable the
pilot to set a required angle of
Purpose is to zero deflection of the primary control
control column/rudder surface and maintain that
pedal loads deflection
 preference, for this type of
However, aeroplane, is given to the trimmable
they are not suitable for horizontal stabiliser.
jet aeroplanes because
of their large range of
operating speeds,
 • To maintain a state of equilibrium
for an aeroplane in flight the
moments about each of the three
axes must balance.
There are two types of • If they do not balance then the
trim tab in common use; pilot must intervene and apply
the variable and the additional force to the appropriate
fixed. main control surface deflecting
that control sufficiently to
maintain equilibrium.
 • Trim tabs are provided to relieve
• To sustain the required the strain on the pilot by
position of the maintaining the control surface
controls for the entire at the necessary angle.
flight would place a
great physical strain
on the pilot.