ATA 27: FLIGHT CONTROLS

1. Primary flight controls

Roll Controls (xoay quanh trục x): Ailerons và Roll Spoilers used for roll control
- Aileron on one wing upward and on other wing downward
+ Inboard
+ Outboard
- Roll Spoilers
Pitch Control: Elevators move up and down
Yaw Control: Rudder moves to left or right
2. Secondary flight controls
- used ton change lift drag and trim of aircraft
- consist of lift devices and trim systems
Lift devices:
- leading edge devices:
- flaps:
leading edge devices and flaps: work together; used to increase lift for low speed
flight; during flap extension wing area increase anf camber of wing changes
- speed brakes: increase drag and decrease lift; operate symmetrically on each wing;
share some panels with roll spoilers
Trim systems
- for roll, pitch, yaw
- compensate for imbakance of aircraft
- ensure aircraft is balanced for steady flight
Trimable horizontal stabilizer is pitch trim: trim along the longitudinal axis
3. Basic Flight Control System Principle
Flight Control Systems:
- control inputs
- control transmissions
- control outputs/ surfaces
Control inputs for primary flight controls:
- located in cookpit
- control colums operate elevators
- control wheels operate ailerons and roll spoilers
- rudder pedals operate rudder
Side stick:
- used to opreate ailerons, roll spoilers and elevators
Control inputs for secondary flight controls
- located on pedestal in cockpit
- speed brake lever operates speed brakes
- flap lever operates flaps
II. Cable Transmission
1. Control Cable Construction
Cables: consist of 7 strands helically twisted
Strands: consits of a number of wires helically twisted, 7 wires and 19 wires. More
wires means more flexibility
Cable identified by: dimeter, strands, wires. 3.2mm 7x19
Cables runs:
- sections with straight cable routing
- sections with several changes of direction
- extra flexible cables in section with several changes of direction
Compare cable transmission with rod trasmission:
- use less weight
- cannot transmit push forces
2. Cable Inspection
 Cables must be: cleaned, inspected, lubricated. Cables should be cleaned using a lint
free cloth.
Lint free cloth: used to remove grease and dirt from surface of cable
Solvents: should not be used as they remove grease from strands inside the cable
Broken wires on surface of cable: detected by rubbing cloth along cable
Internal broken wires: detected by bending the cable
Cable wear: examine outer wires of strand for flat spots. The worn areas blend to
indicate wear of between 40% and 50%
Cables inspected for corrosion
Cables lubricated with grease:
- for full length of travel
- to protect against cable corrosin
3. 3. One and two cable transmission
One cable transmission:
- can only transmit pull forces
- used for simple operations
Single cable:
- transmits pull force from lever to close valve
- cannot transmits lever movement to reset valve to open
- return spring used to reset valve
Two cable transmissions:
- ues quadrants to transmit push and pull rod movements
Quadrants:
- normal quadrants
- single quadrants
- tension regulators
Lint free cloth:
- used to remove grease and dirt surface of cable
- each has 2 cables attached
- to transmit inputs to spoiler panels for example
4. Cable Tension Regulator
When temperature decreases the aluminum aircraft fuselage contracts more than the
steel cables causing cable tension to fall (cable tension decrease)
Cable tension regulator:
- ensures tension kept constant at different temperatures
- 2 quadrant halves mounted on common axle
- springloaded cross head mounted on guide
- pull rods
5. Cable Transmission Sub-components
Pulleys are used to change the direction of a cable run
Cable pulleys:
- used to change directin of cable run
- axle supported by pulley bracket
- safety pins to prevent cable jumping off
Pressure seals
- to maintain air tight seal around cable that passes through hole in pressure bulkhead
Fairleads:
- to guide and support cable along routing
- allow maximum direction change of 3*
End fitting (terminal)
- forces transmitted to and from cable
- fastened to cables using swaging machine
Turnbuckle: used to connect 2 externally threaded barrel ends
- left hand thread and right hand thread
- rotate to adjust cable tension
- locked in position by safety clips
V. Surfaces
1. Surface Hinges
Hinges:
- connect flight control surfaces to adjacent structure
- each has hinge support on adjacent structure
Primary hinge: ensures surface fixed in corect position
Components of surface hinges:
- ball bearings to compensate for misaligemnt
- failsafe bolt consisting of outer bolt and inner bolt
- sleeves which prevent overstress of left and right hinge forks if failsafe bolt tightened
Normal hinge:
- 2 sleeves prevent fixed position in relation to hinge forks
- compensates for surface expansion and contraction due to temperature changes.
- take care to install correct sleeve in correct place
2. Balance Weights
Surface flutter results from competition between:
- down-going tendency of surface with center of gravity such as this
- up-going effects of airloads
- The forces of gravity and the airloads do not compete if the center of grravity is at the
hinge point
Surface flutter prevented:
- if control surface hydraulically powered
- by static balancing if mechanically operated
Static balancing:
- blance weights fitted in front of hinge line
- surface balanced when center of gravity = hinge line
Repairs to surface required static balancing to be adjusted:
- surface removed and set in horizontal position
- surface supported by special frame and weighting scale
3. Deflection Angles
Deflection angle of control surface:
- angle between WRP and SRP
- measured in relation to zero position

Surfaces such as aileron: in zero position when surface flush with adjacent airfoil
Surfaces such as elevators and rudder:
- require index plate to establish zero position
- zero position when trailing edge aligned with zero mark on index plate
- before elevator can be in zero position movable stabilizer must also be in zero position
 4. Safety Precautions
Fafety precautions when working with surfaces:
- surfaces move rapidly - dangerous
- ensure travel range of surface is free of personnel and equipment
- reduce risk
Safety devices:
- prevent inadvertnet retraction of extended surface
Warning notices on cockpit controls:
- when work in prgress on actrators or surfaces
VI. Rigging
Adjusting cables and linkages in the flight in the flight control transmission to ensure
proper system operation
1. Cable System rigging
Flight control ringging:
- establishing correct position of each main component in transmission system
- adjusting linking rods and cables accordingly
- use example of elevator transmission system
Control column in corect position:
- if rig pin hole aligned with rig pin holes on structure
- check by inserting rig pin

The correct lacation for the rig pin hole on this cable tension regulator: position C
When correct position for column and regulator established:
- length of connecting rod can be adjusted accordingly
Rig pin has caution flag attached:
- to minimize danger of leaving rig pin installed
- operating controls with rig pín installed – damage
Cable system rigging:
- aircraft temperature must be stable for at least 1 hour
- cable system must be isolated from rest of transmission
Tension adjusted with reference to scale on regulator:
- reading on scale compared to chart
- at temperature of 70*F scale should be 8.5 – 9.0
If the scale reads between 7.6 and 8.1 then the cable tension is correct for an ambient
temperature of 10*F

Quadrants in right position:

- rig oin holes align and rig pin can be inserted easily
When correct tension and quadranr position estaclished:
- rig pins should be removed
- transmission system should be operated several times
- cable tension and quadrant posotions should be checked again and adjusted if necessary
1. Hydraulically operated surfaces
Rigging off hydraulically operated surfaces: position off control surface checked and
adjusted to zero posotion
Hydraulically operated surface with mechanical input:
- without hydraulic pressure surface hangs down
- hydraulic system must be pressurized before rigging

Surface adjusted to zero position:

- extend adjustable input rod
- summing lever deflects valve input lever to right
- follow up motion off position rod lifts TE to zero position
Adjust hydraulically operated surface with electrical input:
- hydraulic system must be pressurized
- electric flight control computer must be switched on
- control input signal must be zero
Length of piston rod adjusted:
- until TE aligns with zero mark on index plate.
It shoud be made shorter
Shortening pistion rod:
- restores control surface to zero position
27.2. PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROLS
I. AILERONS
1. Controls and Indications

The ailerons achieve roll contol

Used to operate by control wheel
One or 2 ailerons on each wing:
- provide roll/lateral control of aircraft
- controled from cockpit by control wheels and aileron trim switches
- if electric flight control system, controlled by sidestick
Two control wheels:
- mounted on control columns
- 1 for captain, 1 for first officer
- connected to each other by bus cables and load limiter
To move the control wheel to the left moves left aileron up and left wing down
Aileron trim switches:
- on pedestal
- arming switch and control switch
Aileron trim arming switch operated:
- electrcal power made available to control switch
- no in put to trim actuator unless control switch also operated
Trim switches operated together to trim ailerons
Releasing one of switches stops trim function
Aileron position: indicated on EICAS display

Control wheel to left: indications show left ailerons up/right ailerons down
Aileron trimmed (neutral) position:
- indicated on scale at top pf control wheel
- varies according to imbalance of aircraft
- must be within trim range on scale
2. Wheel Connections and Body Cables
Torque shafts inside control columns:
- connect control wheels to rest of aileron control system
- fitting designed so that fore and aft movements of columns have no effect on control
wheel transmission
- transmit control wheel movement to cable drums below cockpit floor
Control wheel bussed together:
- by drums and cables under cockpit floor
- 1 cable drum includes a load limiter

The purpose of a load limiter

- allows the control wheels to be disconnected if 1 becomes jammed
- review segment on Override Devices (Flight Controls General – Mechanical
Transmission)
Upper cable drum under left control column:
- connected to left body cable
Upper cable drum under right control column:
- connected to right body cable
- incorporates lost motion device
Dual control path:
- independent left body cables and right
body cables
- left body cables transmit all control wheel
inputs
- right body cables transmit control for left wing
- right body cables transmit control for right wing
Input:
- from upper cable drum under captain’s control column
- via left body cables
- to aileron input quadrant in left wing gear wheel well
Part of the aileron input quadrant: trim, feel and centering mechanism

Aileron trim, feel and centring mechanism:

- part of aileron input quadrant
- segments 4 and 5 in Hydraulic Transmission
3. Wheel well componets
Aileron input quadrant:
- connected to left central lateral control package
Input levers of left CLCP and right CLCP: (Central Lateral Control Package)
- connected by load limiting strut
CLCPs:
- convert inputs from aileron input quadrant or autopilot into hydraulically powered
outputs to aileron programmers or spoiler differential mechanisms
Aileron programmers:
- connected by force limiter bus rod
- control relationship between movement of control wheels and deflection of ailerons

Backdrive rod:
- connects aileron programmer to right body cable
- allows possibility of feedback via right body cables to control wheels
Lost motion devices:
- to prevent undesired feedback from right body cable to control wheels
- in example, up to 6* movement either way permitted
Left system jammed:
- first officer’s control wheel must be operated more than 6* either way to achieve
transmission to CLCP
Load limiting strut and force limiter bus rod
- override devices which disconnect control systems if 1 becomes jammed
4. Wing Cables and Transmissions
Wing cables and transmission components:
- same on both wings
Output of aileron programmer via wing
cables to:
- inboard aileron quadrant
- outboard aileron quadrant

Cable drum:
- safety device
- ensures inputs to inboard aileron maintained if cable to outboard aileron breaks
Aileron control input transmitted from:
- inboard aileron quadrant, via control rod, to inboard aileron control quadrant
- outboard aileron quadrant, via lockout mechanism, to outboard aileron control packages

Aileron control packages:

- also called servo control units
- amplify input motion to deflect ailerons
- hold ailerons in position
- act as damper when no hydraulic pressure
present
- first 3 segments of Hydraulic Transmission
lesson
Inboard ailerons:
- also called all speed ailerons
Outboard ailerons:
- also called low speed ailerons
- have balance weights to prevent fluttering
- are differential ailerons
II. SPECIAL AILERON FUCTIONS
1. Lockout Mechanism
Distinction between all speed and low speed ailerons
Input to outboard ailerons transmitted via lockout mechanism
The lockout mechanism ensures the outboard ailerons are available to assist the inboard
ailerons dring low speed flight
Aileron lockout mechanism:
- locks the outboard aileron in neutral at high aicraft speeds
- connects outboard aileron to aileron control system during low speed flight
- basically same construction on most aircraft which have outboard ailerons
Inboard aileron directly connected to quadrant by
rod
Connections to outboard aileron more
complicated
Outboard aileron:
- connected to associated quadrant by rear rod
and forward rod
Rear rod and forward rod:
- connected by hinge to actuator rod of lockout
actuator
Lockout actuator:
- eclectrical screwjack actuator
- receives signals from high speed circuit or low speed circuit
Simulate a high speed signal to the lockout actuator
When lockout actuator receives high speed signal:
- actuator rod aligns hinge connecting rods with bearing of outboard aileron quadrant
High speed position
- aileron control input ha no effect outboard aileron