Fly by wire - Simplifying the complexity!

Do you remember light bulbs of 1990’s which had strings attached to them? A string needs to be pulled to switch it on or off. Today’s technology has brought us to smart home control, where everything is controlled by smart applications. Similarly aviation industry has also advanced from mechanical systems to fly by wire systems!

Video Credits: hamed eghbali

In olden aircraft there were mechanical systems which allowed the pilot to control the aircraft. For example rods and linkages were used to operate the control surfaces. This kind of mechanical systems posed many problems while in flight. The probability of failure was high. There were delay in command and action (lag). So a new technology was required to overcome this defect!

Today’s aircraft use fly by wire system to control the aircraft. The action to be performed is converted into electrical signal and transmitted through wire. A flight control computer determines how to perform the required action. It sends command to the actuator to perform such action. Therefore ensures that the required outcome is attained.

Video Credits: Ositopiloto

Fly by wire reduces the lag in command and action. A closed loop feed back control technique is used to provide error free performance. Mechanical systems are still used for redundancy. Today almost all of the aircraft use fly by wire system to control their aircraft. 

Therefore Safety is ensured in all level of flight. In future AI may be used to control our flight in a smart manner.