Avionics Flashcards
Avionics is a shorthand expression for
aeronautical or aviation electronics.
Also known as Aerospace
Systems.
what is a cockpit?
The area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the craft.
What is an EADI?
Electronic Attitude Director Indicator (EADI) provides attitude
information of the aircraft for the pilot (i.e. pitch and roll).
Pitch
Pitch refers to the rotation of the aircraft around a side-to-side axis. It can be thought of as the “up and down” or “nodding” motion of the aeroplane.
Roll
A roll motion is an up and down movement of the wings of the aircraft
Yaw
Yaw is movement of the nose of the aircraft perpendicular to the wings (left or right). Causes change in heading of the aircraft.
What is an EHSI?
Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) provides a relative
horizontal position of the aircraft from radar.
Airspeed indicator
Provides the current airspeed of the aircraft.
Side-Stick or Control yoke
This is the mechanism used for the pilot to input
manoeuvring commands.
What is the ECAM
Electronic Centralised Aircraft Management (ECAM) provides
operational information about the aircraft.
What is the “Head up display”?
An overlay that allows critical information (e.g. angle of attack,
flight path, acceleration, airspeed, targets) about the aircrafts
operation to be displayed within the line of sight of the pilot.
Head Up Display Control Panel
This is used by the pilot to choose the
data displayed on the head up display.
Multi-purpose Display
This is used to display operational displays for
the aircraft e.g. EADI, EHSI.
Altimeter
The Altimeter provides the aircraft height (i.e. flight level) above mean
sea level.
HOTAS
hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) is the mechanism for the pilot to input manoeuvring
commands and control the engine throttle.
Flight Control Systems
These systems provide the safe, accurate and robust
manoeuvring capability of the aircraft.
The operation of these systems ensures that the
motion of the aircraft is accurately controlled
throughout the flight.
• For civil aircraft the Flight Control Systems maintain
safe, stable and comfortable operation of the aircraft
• For military aircraft the Flight Control Systems
provide stability and manoeuvrability, thus ensuring
high performance.
Lift
Lift (L) is a force generated mainly by the wings and keeps the aircraft in the
air. It is always perpendicular to the relative wind or the freestream
direction.
Weight
Weight (W) is the force on the aircraft due to gravity. For levelled flight, L=W.
Thrust
Thrust (T) is the propulsive force generated by the engines and propels the
aircraft forward. For steady flight, T=D.
Drag
Drag (D) is a resistive force which hinders the forward motion of the aircraft.
It is always parallel to the relative wind or the freestream direction
The flight control system contains 4 basic elements
• Flight Control – converts desired pilot commands from stick to actuator
commands based on measured outputs from the sensors
• Actuator – mechanisms for moving control surfaces of the vehicle
• Aircraft – inputs are the actuator movements needed to move the vehicle
• Sensors – mechanisms used to measure the vehicles motion outputs
