4 ms·
Moving control surfaces are simpler, from an engineering perspective. I'd worry the failure modes of a pressurised air system, which are surely more numerous t
by cbeach 3y ago
Moving control surfaces are simpler, from an engineering perspective.
I'd worry the failure modes of a pressurised air system, which are surely more numerous than a simple mechanical flap. Any failure would be catastrophic to the airplane.
- Cthulhu_ 3y agoYou're making very conclusive / "just so" statements; are you an engineer? Because the moving control surfaces have their own issues; actuators, hydraulics, wear and tear, etc. This looks (and I'm no engineer) to be mechanically simpler, lighter, fewer moving parts, etc. Of course, there's bound to be a caveat or ten, since else why wasn't it tried earlier? It doesn't look technologically advanced, doesn't look like it couldn't have been done decades ago.
- WJW 3y ago1. Air planes are full of pressurized air, hydraulic and fuel systems already, and they fail very rarely indeed. 2. Aircraft control surfaces are quite a bit more involved than being "a simple mechanical flap".
- zython 3y agoIts unmanned; even if it should crash its not catastophic IMO
- 0x457 3y agoIt's unmanned because it's a testbed.
- lupusreal 3y agoFew military aircraft still use mechanical linkages from the pilot to the control surfaces.
- Toutouxc 3y agoAll modern fighter jets have relaxed stability and are controlled by complex fly-by-wire systems with precise hydraulic actuators moving huge multi-purpose control surfaces (e.g. stabilators, elevons, flaperons). "Simple" has left the chat a long time ago.
- elteto 3y agoAnd don't forget about thrust vector control... talk about complicated moving mechanisms.
- foobiekr 3y agoLooking at demonstrations and on-the-ground displays of these mechanisms leaves me absolutely in awe and terror. I really can't imagine putting my life in the hands of the thrust vectoring mechanisms. It's really something. They're amazing but they violate the intuitive moving-parts-to-risk count.