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Flight Control Laws -1stepprep Flashcards

1
Q

What is a flight control law?

A

A set of rules by which flight controls are governed

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2
Q

What are the 4 flight control laws?

A
  1. Normal Law
  2. Alternate Law
  3. Direct Law
  4. Abnormal Attitude law
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3
Q

Is Mechanical Backup a flight control law?

A

No

Its the absence of a law

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4
Q

How many flight control computers?

A

7

2 x FAC’s
2 x ELAC’s
3 x SEC’s

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5
Q

What does SEC 3 control?

A

SEC 3 only controls spoilers

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6
Q

What is the flight envelope in normal law?

A

30 deg NU
15 deg ND
67 deg L/R

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7
Q

How do you know you’re in normal law?

A

Green equal signs on the PFD at the flight envelope limits

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8
Q

What are the 5 protections in normal law?

A

1 . High Speed

  1. Pitch
  2. Roll
  3. G-load
  4. High Alpha
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9
Q

When will the aural alert occur in high speed protection?

A

At Vmo +4kts

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10
Q

When does high speed protection activate?

A

At Vmo +6kts

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11
Q

What happens when high speed protection activates?

A
  • AP disconnect
  • nose starts pitching up
  • nose down trim inhibited
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12
Q

Can high speed protection be overridden by the pilots?

A

Yes,
will allow override to ~Vmo +15kts in case of TCAS RA.
As approach +15kts sidestick authority diminishes

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13
Q

What is roll protection in normal law?

A

-Cannot bank >67 deg

  • Have positive spiral stability between 33-67 deg
    ie. a/c returns to 33 deg when sidestick released
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14
Q

Will aircraft ever roll to wings level when AoB > 33 deg and sidestick released?

A

Yes,

If high speed protection is active to limit structural load

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15
Q

What is the relevance of 67 deg?

A

= 2.5g in level flight

G-load certification limit figure

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16
Q

In normal law the side stick is commanding…?

A

G-Load

AFT sidestick = +ve G
FWD sidestick =-ve G
Release stick -a/c holds pitch attitude

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17
Q

Normal Law pitch protection

A

30 deg NU

15 deg ND

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18
Q

What are your alpha protections?

A
  1. Alpha Prot
  2. Alpha MAX
  3. Alpha Floor
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19
Q

How is alpha Prot depicted on the PFD?

A

Top of Black and Amber checker bar

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20
Q

What is Alpha Prot?

A

Alpha Prot is the AoA where the FCC’s intervene to prevent stall

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21
Q

What happens at Alpha Prot?

A

ASAP

A oA is commanded by sidestick (normally G-load)

S poilers auto retract

A utopilot disconnects

Pitch Trim inhibited (nose up)

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22
Q

Alpha Max -how do you get there?

A

By continuing to pull fully aft through Alpha Prot

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23
Q

What is Alpha Max?

A

The Maximum AoA the ELAC’s will allow

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24
Q

What happens in Alpha max?

A

The aircraft holds the AoA just below critical stall

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25
Is Alpha Max likely if alpha floor is working?
No, | Alpha floor will prevent you from getting to Alpha max
26
What is Alpha floor?
A PREDICTIVE function of the autothrust system to prevent low speed condition (stall)
27
Do you need to move through Alpha prot and alpha max to get to alpha floor?
No
28
How does alpha floor work?
By using the energy computers -the FAC's
29
When is alpha floor available?
- autothrust available | - FAC's available
30
What does the condition 'A/THR available mean for alpha floor to be operable?
Does not need to be armed or active Needs to not be: - disconnected (A/THR instinctive disconnects pressed and held for >15secs inhibits A/THR for remainder of flight) - MEL'd - N1 mode
31
What items do the FAC's give us?
YAWL Y aw -trim (rudder) - turn coordination - travel limiter (rudder) - yaw damper A irspeed envelope W indshear alerts -reactive L ow energy warning
32
When is the Low energy warning available?
From 100' RA -2000'RA, with Flap 2, 3, Full @ low speed
33
How do we get into Alternate law?
Failure of a system plus a redundancy Dual failure of: 1. Hydraulics 2. ADIRS 3. FCC's 4. Gernerators 5. FAC 1+2 6. ELAC 1+2 etc And, after entering Abnormal Attitude Law
34
How do you know you're in Alternate Law?
Amber crosses on the PFD ECAM memo: ALT LAW: PROT LOST
35
What do you have in Alternate Law?
High/ Low Speed stability | G-load protection
36
What have you lost in Alternate Law?
All protections except g-load
37
What is High/Low speed stability
- A recommendation / overrideable - Not a protection - A/c generates gentle nose pitch up/down moments
38
Can the pilot override High/low speed stability?
Yes
39
Is the aircraft capable of stalling in Alternate Law?
Yes
40
What are the 3 modes available in normal law?
1. Ground 2. Flight 3. Flare
41
Is Flare mode available in alternate law?
No -straight to direct law
42
How does the aircraft able to flare once in alternate mode?
By the aircraft going into direct law when: - landing gear is selected down, and - AP OFF
43
What is ground mode?
-Pitch and Roll have a direct relationship with sidestick movement For flight control check and rotation into the air
44
What happens to ground mode once airborne in normal law?
transitions to flight mode over 5 secs
45
Why must you wait 5secs after lift off prior to engaging AP?
To allow a/c to transition from ground mode to flight mode | mode transition
46
What does the sidestick command in flight mode normal law?
Pitch: G-load demand Roll: commands roll rate
47
What is the roll rate per sec in flight mode normal law with full sidestick L/R?
15 deg / sec
48
What does the sidestick command in flight mode alternate law?
Pitch -still G-load | Roll is now a direct relationship with control surfaces not commanding roll rate
49
Flare mode is only available in ....?
Normal Law
50
Flare mode: | At 50ft RA.....
the ELAC's memorise the pitch attitude. | the 50ft ELAC snapshot!
51
Flare Mode: | At 30ft RA
ELAC's commands ~2deg ND pitch on memorised attitude over 8 secs To counteract, the pilot flares aircraft with gentle nose up action ( a typical landing flare is 7 secs)
52
Why does the aircraft go from alternate law into direct law with landing gear down ?
So pilots can have a normal feel for landing because flare mode is lost in alternate law
53
How do you know you're in direct law?
Amber USE MAN PITCH TRIM
54
What is Abnormal Attitude Law?
If normal design envelope is exceeded (pitch/roll by >2x) quickly or abruptly it gives the pilot control of the aircraft ie +30/-15/67=+60/-30/134
55
What is the only protection in Abnormal Attitude Law?
G-Load protection So the other protections do not hinder the pilot from recovering the a/c to a normal attitude
56
Once recovered from Abnormal Attitude Law phase, which flight control law will the a/c be in?
Alternate Law But with Landing Flare Mode So with gear down, stays in alternate law -does not go into direct law
57
What is Mechanical Back up?
The absence of all laws Temporary state
58
How is the a/c controlled in mechanical back up?
rudder pitch trim differential thrust
59
What are the indications of Mechanical Backup?
Aircraft does not respond to sidestick Amber X's Red MAN PITCH TRIM ONLY No ECAM
60
How is the airspeed envelope generated?
By the FAC's Speed tape shows approximate speed for Alpha prot / Alpha max Remember its based on an AoA, speeds are approaximate
61
Predictive function of the A/THR system Clean wing, 210 kts, downwind, roll in bank, pull back on sidestick, +ve g-loads.....What happens in the event of an agressive decay in speed trend?
A/THR commands TOGA to prevent a low energy state. FMA -A.FLOOR (1st column) (never got near Alpha prot or Alpha max) Alpha floor kicked in because it didn't like what it saw in terms of energy
62
When does TOGA LOCK appear on the FMA
Anytime Alpha Floor activates and AoA is reduced
63
How do we get out of TOGA LK?
Click the IDP Instinctive disconnect pb's (no need to match the doughnuts)
64
What is another way to get out of TOGA LK | not recommended!
Thrust levers to IDLE STOP
65
How do we know we're in Ground mode?
-2 engines running -PFD L angles in corners Maltese cross
66
Are there any protections in Direct Law?
No
67
Is it possible to have AP functionality in Alternate Law?
Yes, | Depends on failure that you have
68
Can we go from Normal Law straight to Direct Law?
Yes, | Dual RA Failure
69
How do you know you're in Abnormal Attitude Law?
Amber crosses on PFD | No ECAM memo
70
What does it mean if you have amber x's on the PFD?
You are not in Normal Law!
71
How do you get into Mechanical Backup?
Loss of Pitch Control: ELAC 1+2 SEC 1+2 (not SEC 3 -it only spoilers)
72
How many FCC's control pitch?
4 ELAC 1+2 SEC 1+2
73
What is a better name for the FAC's
RAC's: Rudder AoA Computer YAWL

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