Primary Flight Control-A320

BACHELOR OF AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (HONOURS) INAVIONICS

THEORY OF FLIGHT AND CONTROL (AAB20402)

TITLE: ASSIGNMENT 1AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL

LECTURER: MR MOHD EZWANI BIN KADIR

GROUP: ANGLE OF ATTACK

NO. NAME IDENTITY NUMBER1 ZAHID BIN ZULKEFLEE 532131142672 AMIR SYAZWAN BIN ALI 532591131303 TUAH MAHATHIR BIN MUHAMAD 532131144024 MUHAMMAD IKRAM BIN ABD HAMID 532131142525 RAJA MUHAMMAD KAMAL BIN RAJA BADLY 53213114152

UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPURMALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OFAVIATION TECHNOLOGY

iTABLE OF CONTENTS

NO CONTENTS PAGES

1 TABLE OF CONTENT i

2 INTRODUCTION 1

3 AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL 2

4 AIRBUS A320 SERIES PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM 3-4

5 THE NEEDS OF THE AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL 4

6 LOCATION OF CONTROL SURFACES 5-6

7 THE USE OF AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL 7

8 FUNCTION AND OPERATION OF PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL 8-10

9 REFERENCES 11

10 APPENDIX 12-20

1INTRODUCTION

An aircraft is a machine that has the ability to fly by gaining support from air oratmosphere in the planet Earth. The ability to fly needs certain mechanism. This mechanism isnot just for flying but to control the aircraft during flight. This is known as aircraft flightcontrol. Generally the aircraft flight control can be classified into three groups; the aircraftprimary flight control, the aircraft secondary flight control and the aircraft auxiliary flightcontrol. Below are the summary;

Figure 1. The classification of aircraft flight control

AircraftFlightControl

AircraftPrimaryFlightControl

AircraftSecondary

FlightControl

AircraftAuxiliaryFlightControl

ElevatorTrim TabSystem

Flap ControlDevices

Rudder andAileron TrimTab System

High LiftDevices

ElevatorControlSystem

AileronControlSystem

RudderControlSystem

2AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL

Aircraft primary flight control is the mechanism to control the movement of an aircraft. This type

of flight control is the basic flight control compared to other two types. These consist of theflight control surfaces and the engine power management. Below are the examples of primaryflight control;

i. Elevator Control System

ii. Aileron Control System

iii. Rudder Control System

AIRBUS A320

Airbus launched its single-aisle product line withthe A320, which continues to set industrystandards for comfort and operating economy onshort- to medium-haul routes. Typically seating150 passengers in a two-class cabin or up to 180in a high-density layout for low-cost and charterflights the A320 is in widespread service aroundthe globe on services that vary from shortcommuter sectors in Europe, Asia and elsewhere to Figure 2. Airbus A320

Trans-continental flights across the United States.1 The Airbus A320 is fitted with a fly-by-wireflight control system. This means that the mechanical linkage between control column andcontrol surface has been replaced by electrical wires. Just like the Boeing 737, the Airbus A320flight controls are divided into primary and secondary flight controls. Both the primary andsecondary flight controls are controlled by a total of 7 computers.2

1 A320 family. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengeraircraft/a320family/a320/2 A320 control system. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dutchops.com/Portfolio_Marcel/Articles/FlightControls/A320_Flight_Controls/A320_Primary_Flight_Controls.html

3AIRBUS A320 SERIES PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

According to the A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 FlightControl (27-00-00) page 2 until 5, the roll and pitch controls of aircraft are electrical. They arecontrolled by side stick inputs and digital processing by the Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC)and the Spoiler Elevator Computer (SEC), each of them being able to control the aircraft in bothaxes. Some rudder control function such as trim and travel limitation are achieved by FlightAugmentation Computer (FAC). Meanwhile if the aircraft in flight during a temporary completeloss of electrical power, it controlled by hydro mechanical as well as the alternate horizontalstabilizer control. When the primary flight controls on the Airbus A320 are being operated,electrical signals from the side stick of Flight Management and Guidance System (FMGS) aresend to the flight control computers before being passed to the flight control hydraulic actuator.3

Figure 3. Flight Control Surfaces (A320

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-00-00) page 2 until53 A320 control system. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dutchops.com/Portfolio_Marcel/Articles/FlightControls/A320_Flight_Controls/A320_Primary_Flight_Controls.html

4Figure 4. Airbus A320 Flight Control

THE NEEDS OF THE AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL

Elevator, aileron and rudder are the control surface for an aircraft. These control surface havetheir own part or mechanism in aircraft primary flight control system. Below are the important of

aircraft primary flight control;

i. Aircraft primary flight control will determine the position of the aircraft.

ii. Elevator will help in aircraft pitching.

iii. Aileron will help in aircraft rolling.

iv. Rudder will help in aircraft yawing.

v. They will involve in aircraft stability (vertical, lateral and longitudinal)

5LOCATION OF CONTROL SURFACES

For aircraft primary flight control, the control surfaces involved are elevator, aileron and rudder.Below are the locations of the control surfaces.

Control Surface Location

Elevator

Figure 5. The elevator at the horizontal stabilizer (the tail)

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-34-00) page 2

6Aileron

Figure 6. The ailerons at both of the aircraft wing.

Rudder

Figure 7. Rudder at aircraft fin (the tail)

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-14-00) page 604A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-21-00) page 504

7THE USE OF AIRCRAFT PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL

All the flight control is being controlled in the cockpit by the pilot. The pilot will use the primaryflight control during flight. The use of elevator is utilized during pitching maneuver. Pitching iswhen the elevator tilts up or down, decreasing or increasing lift on the tail. This tilts the nose ofthe aircraft up and down.4

The aileron will be used during rolling maneuver. During rolling the pilot will control thecontrol column in order to control the movement of the aileron. The aileron at the right wing willturn upward while the aileron that is located on the left wing will turn downward in order to bankthe aircraft to the left side.

The rudder will be used during yawing maneuver. On the vertical tail fin, the rudder swivelsfrom side to side, pushing the tail in a left or right direction. A pilot usually uses the rudder alongwith the ailerons to turn the aircraft.5

Figure 8. Pitching Figure 9. Rolling Figure 10. Yawing

Figure 8. 9. and 10. (Cessna) as an example of the basic movement of aircraft subjected(A320)

4 Roll, pitch, and yaw. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://howthingsfly.si.edu/flight-dynamics/roll-pitch-and-yaw5 Ibid

8FUNCTION AND OPERATION OF PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL

Elevator Control System

An elevator is mounted on the back edge of the horizontal stabilizer on each side of the fin in thetail. They move up and down together. When the pilot pulls the stick backward, the elevators goup. Pushing the stick forward causes the elevators to go down. Raised elevators push down onthe tail and cause the nose to pitch up. This makes the wings fly at a higher angle of attack whichgenerates more lift and more drag. Many aircraft use a stabilator (a moveable horizontalstabilizer) in place of an elevator.

Figure 11. The elevator control system (reference)

Figure 12. The elevator control system of Airbus A320

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-30-00) page 3/4

9Aileron Control System

Ailerons are mounted on the trailing edge of each wing near the wingtips, and move in oppositedirections. When the pilot moves the stick left, or turn the wheel counter-clockwise, the leftaileron goes up and the right aileron goes down. A raised aileron reduces lift on the wing andlowered one increases lift, so moving the stick left causes the left wing to drop and the right wingto rise. This causes the plane to bank left and begin to turn to the left. Centering the stick returnsthe ailerons to neutral maintaining the bank angle. The plane will continue to turn until oppositeaileron motion return the bank angle to zero to fly straight.

Figure 13. The aileron control system (reference) Figure 14. The aileron control systemlinkage (reference)

Figure 15. The aileron control system for Airbus A320


10

Rudder Control System

The rudder is typically mounted on the back edge of the fin in the empennage. When the pilotpushes the left pedal, the rudder deflects left. Pushing the right pedal caused the rudder to deflectright. Deflecting the right pushes the tail left and cause the nose to yaw right. Centering therudder pedals returns the rudder to neutral and stops the yaw.

Figure 16. The rudder control system (reference)

Figure 17. The rudder control system for Airbus A320


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REFERENCES

A320 family. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengeraircraft/a320family/a320/

A320 control system. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.dutchops.com/Portfolio_Marcel/Articles/FlightControls/A320_Flight_Controls/A320_Primary_Flight_Controls.html

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-00-00)page 2 until 5

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-34-00)page 2



Roll, pitch, and yaw. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://howthingsfly.si.edu/flight-dynamics/roll-pitch-and-yaw

Ibid

A319/A320/A321 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) Chapter 27 Flight Control (27-30-00)page 3/4



Theory of Flight AAB 20402, UniKL MIAT

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APPENDIX

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COVER.pdfTABLE OF CONTENTS.pdfcontent.pdfAMM A320 - Copy.pdf

Primary Flight Control-A320

Documents

aircraftprimary flight

basic flight control

typeof flight control

control aab20402title

a320 control system

wireflight control system

location of control

theflight control surfaces