3 ms·
> If you lost power, you still probably wouldn't be able to move the stick, or it wouldn't do anything. item of interest: some commercial aircraft have a mecha
by bsamuels 9y ago
> If you lost power, you still probably wouldn't be able to move the stick, or it wouldn't do anything.
item of interest: some commercial aircraft have a mechanical flight control mode where the pilot can mechanically control some of the control surfaces. not sure if this applies to many other aircraft though.
- akira2501 9y agoNot available on an Airbus.. there is no mechanical linkage from the flight stick to anything other than it's own housing. However, on both the modern Airbus and Boeing plans, there's a RAT[1] that will generate hydraulic and electrical power if the planes main and auxiliary systems fail. The (in)famous Gimli Glider[2] used it to survive total power loss after it ran it's fuel tanks dry. [1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_air_turbine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_air_turbine [2]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
- WalterBright 9y agoOn the 757, the pilot's controls move steel cables which open and close the valves on hydraulic rams which move the surfaces. Hydraulic power is necessary, which is why there's the backup RAT to supply enough hydraulic pressure to run the primary flight controls if the engines all fail. A "feel computer" pushes back on the pilot's controls so moving the controls feels like it would on a machine where the surfaces were connected to the cables. I'm pretty sure the 757 can be flown with no electric power.