Flight control system architecture analysis and design for a fly-by-wire generic regional aircraft

Fly-by-wire systems are becoming increasingly common in civil transport aircraft due to the economic and technological benefits that this technology provides. These fly-by-wire systems are comprised of two major components; the flight control laws, which govern the aircraft’s handling characteristics, and the flight control system architecture, or the hardware, which is used to implement the control laws.

This report will primarily consider the design of the flight control hardware, although control laws will be briefly examined for current civil fly-by-wire aircraft. The background to the architecture is presented, along with relevant issues such as processing distribution and the requirements for system synchronisation. The flight control systems for current civil aircraft are described in detail, and these systems are compared to detailed certification, maintenance and functional requirements.

The findings of the analysis are used to propose a fly-by-wire flight control system architecture for a Generic Regional Aircraft. This architecture is not complex, only uses existing technology and meets the requirements previously determined. It has a capability for deferred maintenance sing it is shown that the aircraft can be dispatched with one flight control computer failed and still meet the mandatory reliability requirements defined by the national airworthiness authorities. Control laws are not proposed.