5 ms·

> How is this different from every other fly by wire system? In a fly-by-wire system, low-voltage electricity is used to carry information. Batteries and redun

> How is this different from every other fly by wire system? In a fly-by-wire system, low-voltage electricity is used to carry information. Batteries and redundant lines can handle almost any conceivable fault. In a plasma wing, high-voltage electricity is used to alter the airfoil. Battery backups may be infeasible (or too heavy) for the voltages required. Or the ion generator itself may fail. > I rather have a solid state system that merely requires voltage to operate than the complex system of moving parts, linear actuators, hydraulic actuators, and fly by wire electronics that is currently required. The current systems also have millions/billions of hours of proven flight time, as well as the knowledge gleaned from thousands of crash investigations. I'd rather fly on a current system. Also, a plasma aircraft could certainly have a fly-by-wire control also.

doikor 10y ago
> The current systems also have millions/billions of hours of proven flight time, as well as the knowledge gleaned from thousands of crash investigations. I'd rather fly on a current system. Also, a plasma aircraft could certainly have a fly-by-wire control also. That same reasoning could have been (was?) used against fly-by-wire systems. Why add this additional complexity of a system that does not have the millions of flight hours of the old system. Just like most aviation tech it probably will first be used by the military for something crazy and then slowly come down to civilian usage. (I imagine the air force commanders would like to have their tanker/radar/non stealth planes have 25% longer flight time/range)
- stcredzero 10y ago
  Perhaps the system could be used to enable the manufacture of very agile but very cheap weaponized drones. Then future battlefields might look like an arcade game, with purple plasma streaks zooming in crazy paths towards their targets.
- digler999 10y ago
  Just guessing, but the industry likely migrated to fly-by-wire because of some quantifiable benefit, either from software-aided stability correction, or reduced risk of a mechanical failure. Maybe they proved that its less likely for FBW to fail than it is for a cable to snap ? I'm not against using plasma, btw. I'm just saying if one were built today, I'd prefer to trust existing designs until they have a decade or more of testing done.

doikor 10y ago

> The current systems also have millions/billions of hours of proven flight time, as well as the knowledge gleaned from thousands of crash investigations. I'd rather fly on a current system. Also, a plasma aircraft could certainly have a fly-by-wire control also. That same reasoning could have been (was?) used against fly-by-wire systems. Why add this additional complexity of a system that does not have the millions of flight hours of the old system. Just like most aviation tech it probably will first be used by the military for something crazy and then slowly come down to civilian usage. (I imagine the air force commanders would like to have their tanker/radar/non stealth planes have 25% longer flight time/range)

stcredzero 10y ago
Perhaps the system could be used to enable the manufacture of very agile but very cheap weaponized drones. Then future battlefields might look like an arcade game, with purple plasma streaks zooming in crazy paths towards their targets.
digler999 10y ago
Just guessing, but the industry likely migrated to fly-by-wire because of some quantifiable benefit, either from software-aided stability correction, or reduced risk of a mechanical failure. Maybe they proved that its less likely for FBW to fail than it is for a cable to snap ? I'm not against using plasma, btw. I'm just saying if one were built today, I'd prefer to trust existing designs until they have a decade or more of testing done.