Automatic Flight Control

This book provides an introduction to the pinciples of automatic flight of fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft. Representative types of aircraft (UK and US) are used to show how these principles are applied in their systems. The revised edition includes new material on automatic flight control systems and helicopters Preface to First Edition; Preface to Fourth Edition; Principles of flight - fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters; Servomechanisms and automatic control fundamentals; Sensing of attitude changes; Command signal detection; Command signal processing; Outer loop control; Conversion of command signals to powered control; Automatic control of helicopters; Flight director systems; Automatic landing and autothrottle systems; Fly-by-wire (FBW) Control Systems; Appendix - Fixed-wing aircraft/AFCS combinations; Helicopter/ AFCS combinations; Acronyms and abbreviations associated with AFCS equipment and controlling signal functions; Logic circuits; Solutions to multi-choice questions; Index E. H. J. Pallatt was formerly a Surveyor with the CAA Airworthiness Division. Shawn Coyle is a highly experience helicopter test pilot instructor. This book provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of automatic flight for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Representative types of aircraft (UK and US) are used to show how these principles are applied in their systems.

For the fourth edition new information has been added on ∙ principles of flight · autothrottle control · digital computer-based systems · and the section on automatic control of helicopters has been completely rewritten.

Information on the fundamentals of fly-by-wire control systems has been expanded and now forms a separate chapter.

The book meets the needs of students of ab-initio courses in aircraft maintenance and complements the ground studies of pilots on ab-initio training.