A response criterion for aircraft with fly-by-wire control systems

Abstract

The use of completely electrical control systems for aircraft (so-called "fly-by-wire" systems) has re quired a complete change in the way of describing boundaries for acceptable response characteristics. Acceptability, for either conventional or fly-by-wire systems, is of course based upon the opinions expres sed by pilots in man-in-the-loop simulation studies and in flight tests. This paper presents boundaries for acceptable response which are based upon man-in- the-loop simulations carried out by McDonnell Doug las^3,4 and earlier studies by the Boeing Company.⁶ The present investigation involves digital simulation of fly-by-wire control systems. The primary result of the study is a two-parameter boundary for accept able response; it could have advantages over the three-parameter boundaries proposed by Kisslinger and Wendl.³