Report of the Second Piloted Aircraft Flight Control System - Acgsc.org

and rudder foroe commended lateral acceleration (and therefore ridodip
angle, epprox5mately). Thn 'action of the lateral acceleometar
vae such ar to maintain negligible aidedip in the absence of a rudder
force migaal, 80 that coordinatod turnr were made uripg the vheel
alone. This rimplified the control of the efrcraft in nornal mancnvarr.
Pilotr frequently ure little or no rudder in normel mancutere,
particularly in nailti-e~gin6 or high-.peed drcrait. The
rudder pedal force pickupr, hovewar, dlo- the pilot to intentionally
ridedip the aircraft if he eo deeired. (~ntslrtiond. ridedip
ir urd in making crone vird landingr, for example.)
No modification8 were made in the elevator control channel; the
control characterirtic in vhich wheel force conumnded pitch angle wr
retained.
Phe roqme of event8 in making a turn vith thir ayrtam war
romethipg like thin:
1. The pilot applied a rolling force to the vheel. For
very -1 uhed forces--muah mailer than thore or
dinarily usad in rolling into a t&n--wheel. force
con=nded aircraft bank angle. When the vheel foroe
reached a value of about 3 poundr, the tartical gro
roll rignal war smoothly but rapidly (Umonnected from
the automatic pilot, and roll erection in the rartical
gyro war 'disabled. At thir point, wheel force commaadad
eilaron dirplacs~lent, and the force vhsel ryrtcm
acted merely ar a control booat.
2. To maintain a conrtsnt turn, the pilot relaxdl the
vhedt force &en the proper bank angle had bran reached.
Coordination war aupplied automat i dly. Winor correctione
to bank angle had to be made in the uoual manner,
since no artificial rtability elgnalr vare provided.
3. To return. to straight and lwel flight the pilot hat
two choicee. Ee oould push the but ton on the rrheel and
relax uheel force, in vhich care the vertical gyro roll
rignrrl and roll erecrtion would be reengaged, end the
aircrait vdd automatically return to lsrel, etabiliswl
flight. Alternatively, the pilot could return to lmel
flight in the conventional manner, and then reerrgage the
vertical gyro etabilisation by bepramring the button, ii
he 80 derirul.
Smsral flightr vee ma40 vith thie eyrtsm, and pralirpinery redtr
indicated that it war a very workable and natural ryrtmn of edrcraft
control. Some of the pilotr vsre gratifylrrglf enthuriartic
about the Improved flight path atability ad the sere of fl- path