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A flight control computer (FCC) is a primary component of the
A flight control computer (FCC) is a primary component of the avionics
Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...
system found in fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional aircraft flight control system#Hydro-mechanical, manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic sig ...
aircraft. It is a specialized computer system that can create artificial flight characteristics and improve handling characteristics by automating a variety of in-flight tasks which reduce the workload on the cockpit flight crew
Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose.
Commercial aviation
Flight deck positions
In commercial aviation, ...
.
A flight control computer receives and processes data from a multitude of sensors throughout the aircraft. These sensors monitor variables such as airspeed
In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air it is flying through (which itself is usually moving relative to the ground due to wind). In contrast, the ground speed is the speed of an aircraft with respect to the sur ...
, altitude
Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
, and attitude
Attitude or Attitude may refer to:
Philosophy and psychology
* Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind
** Attitude change
* Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition
Science and technology
* Orientation ...
(the aircraft's orientation in three-dimensional space). Embedded within integrated avionics packages, it executes critical functions such as guidance, navigation. It also controls the plane's flight control surfaces
Flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude. The primary function of these is to control the aircraft's movement along the three axes of rotation. Flight control surfaces ...
, such as the ailerons
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
, elevators
An elevator (American English) or lift (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive tracti ...
, and rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
. A dedicated flight control computer handles high-level computational tasks, including routing, autopilot
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of a vehicle without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allow ...
functions, and flight management. This computer interfaces with the avionics system and is responsible for displaying flight data on the cockpit's flight deck.
The flight control system must be fault tolerant
Fault tolerance is the ability of a system to maintain proper operation despite failures or faults in one or more of its components. This capability is essential for high-availability, mission-critical, or even life-critical systems.
Fault t ...
, and for that purpose there can exist several primary flight control computers (PFCC) and secondary flight control computers (SFCC), which monitors the data output from PFCC and in the case of failure, SFCC can take over the flight controls.
In the Boeing 777
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
there are three primary flight control computers located in the aircraft's electronic equipment bay, responsible for computing and transmitting commands for normal mode flight control surfaces to maintain normal flight, including rudder, elevators, ailerons, flaperons, horizontal stabilizer
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located on the tail ( empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...
, multi-functional spoilers, and ground spoilers.
References
Aerospace engineering {{Aviation-stub