Abstract: A flight control system commands drag devices such as flight spoilers according to pilot or autopilot longitudinal command. Furthermore, the flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine whether the aircraft is operating inside the permitted safe envelope, hence, incorporating envelope automatic exceeding disengagement. This invention allows the aircraft to descend in a steeper glide path than the 3° used in the normal approach, while keeping speeds unchanged.

Abstract: A longitudinal control law is designed to optimize the flying qualities when aircraft is set to approach configuration, i.e. when the flap lever is set to the landing position and landing gears are locked down. Under such circumstances, the effort of trimming the aircraft speed can be extremely reduced by the usage of a momentary on-off switch or other control in the sidestick, instead of or in addition to a conventional trim up-down switch, making easier the task of airspeed selection by the pilot. This control law provides excellent handling qualities during approach and landing, with the benefit of not needing or using radio altimeter information in safety-critical applications.

Abstract: A longitudinal control law is designed to optimize the flying qualities when aircraft is set to approach configuration, i.e. when the flap lever is set to the landing position and landing gears are locked down. Under such circumstances, the effort of trimming the aircraft speed can be extremely reduced by the usage of a momentary on-off switch or other control in the sidestick, instead of or in addition to a conventional trim up-down switch, making easier the task of airspeed selection by the pilot. This control law provides excellent handling qualities during approach and landing, with the benefit of not needing or using radio altimeter information in safety-critical applications.

Abstract: A flight control system moves elevators according to a pilot command summed with an automatic command. The flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine if the flight vehicle is operating inside a permitted envelope. The flight controls system incorporates automatic protections thru the automatic elevator command if the flight vehicle is close to its envelope limits. The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation herein provides automatic protections in order to protect the flight vehicle from low speeds, high attitude, stalls and buffetings.

Abstract: A flight control system moves elevators according to a pilot command summed with an automatic command. The flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine if the flight vehicle is operating inside a permitted envelope. The flight controls system incorporates automatic protections thru the automatic elevator command if the flight vehicle is close to its envelope limits. The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation herein provides automatic protections in order to protect the flight vehicle from low speeds, high attitude, stalls and buffetings.

Abstract: The Tail Load Monitoring System detects faulty low frequency (e.g. those in the range from 0.1 to 1 Hz) oscillatory conditions caused by Flight Control System malfunctions while the aircraft is in air by means of a continuous assessment of the estimated tail load behavior and data processing. Both estimation and data processing activities are provided by a dedicated architecture featuring a tail load estimation module, a band-pass filter and three independent paths that continuously monitor nuisance fault detection events avoidance, catastrophic events avoidance (addressing a limit load criterion), and structural damage avoidance (addressing fatigue life criteria).

Abstract: A flight control system moves elevators according to a pilot command summed with an automatic command. The flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine if the flight vehicle is operating inside a permitted envelope. The flight controls system incorporates automatic protections thru the automatic elevator command if the flight vehicle is close to its envelope limits. The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation herein provides automatic protections in order to protect the flight vehicle from low speeds, high attitude, stalls and buffetings.

Abstract: A flight control system commands drag devices such as flight spoilers according to pilot or autopilot longitudinal command. Furthermore, the flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine whether the aircraft is operating inside the permitted safe envelope, hence, incorporating envelope automatic exceeding disengagement. This invention allows the aircraft to descend in a steeper glide path than the 3° used in the normal approach, while keeping speeds unchanged.

Abstract: The Tail Load Monitoring System detects faulty low frequency (e.g. those in the range from 0.1 to 1 Hz) oscillatory conditions caused by Flight Control System malfunctions while the aircraft is in air by means of a continuous assessment of the estimated tail load behavior and data processing. Both estimation and data processing activities are provided by a dedicated architecture featuring a tail load estimation module, a band-pass filter and three independent paths that continuously monitor nuisance fault detection events avoidance, catastrophic events avoidance (addressing a limit load criterion), and structural damage avoidance (addressing fatigue life criteria).

Abstract: A flight control system moves elevators according to a pilot command summed with an automatic command. The flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine if the flight vehicle is operating inside a permitted envelope. The flight controls system incorporates automatic protections thru the automatic elevator command if the flight vehicle is close to its envelope limits. The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation herein provides automatic protections in order to protect the flight vehicle from low speeds, high attitude, stalls and buffetings.

Abstract: An output vector produced by a plant in response to an input vector is filtered by a plurality of bandpass filters, each filter having a different pass band. A filtered output vector from each filter is provided as input to a separate adaptive feedback controller, and feedback vectors produced by the separate controllers are summed to provide the input vector to the plant. Each adaptive feedback controller continuously identifies an open-loop transfer function of the plant characterizing a particular frequency band of plant operation, and continuously adjusts its own open-loop transfer function so that the poles of the closed-loop transfer function of the plant for that particular frequency mode of operation are assigned to constant stable values despite changes in the open-loop transfer function of the plant.

Abstract: A flight control system combines airspeed with normal acceleration to produce a feedback signal and combines the feedback signal with a feedforward signal consisting of a pilot command signal to produce a differential acceleration signal which is used to control elevator control surface of an aircraft to provide enhanced pitch stability.

Abstract: This invention provides a system for enhancing the performance of an aircraft during flight. The aircraft, which includes at least two control surfaces, such as stabilon and trailing edge flaps, includes devices for: generating a signal representative of the optimum normal acceleration from signals representative of the aircraft's flight status, generating a signal representative of the aircraft's actual normal acceleration, comparing the optimum signal to the actual signal, and generating a command to alter the position of either one or both of the aircraft's control surfaces to reduce any differences between the optimum and actual normal acceleration signals.