Stick Shaker / Stick Pusher

Stall Warning System

Aerodynamic Stall Warning- To ensure the pilot is able to maintain positive control of the aeroplane at all times, it is essential that the speed at which this is
no longer possible, be known for each configuration of the aircraft. This speed is the stalling speed. The aeroplane may be considered stalled when the
behaviour of the aeroplane gives a clear distinctive indication of an unacceptable nature to the pilot that the aeroplane is stalled. Acceptable indications of a
stall, occurring either individually or in combination are:

a. A nose-down pitch that cannot be readily arrested.

b. Buffeting, of a magnitude and severity that is a strong and effective deterrent to further speed reduction. or
c. The pitch control reaches the aft stop and no further increase in pitch attitude occurs when the control is held full aft for a short time before recovery is
initiated.

The effectiveness of the controls, in particular the ailerons, will decrease as separation occurs. The most reliable aerodynamic indication of the approaching
stall is the vibration felt on the control column and/or the rudder pedals caused by the elevators and/or the rudder being buffeted by the separated turbulent
airflow over those control surfaces. Within a few degrees of the stalling angle the buffeting will become noticeable and will give adequate warning of the onset
of the stall. The severity of the pre-stall buffet is dependent on the position of the tail surfaces with respect to the turbulent wake. If a trailing-edge flap is used
it may decrease the severity of the buffet and therefore diminish the amount of warning.
Mechanical Stall Warning- To provide automatic stall warning to the pilot, the device installed has to be activated when the angle of attack attained is just
less than the stalling angle; this occurs when the stagnation point moves rearward along the lower surface of the wing. Either of two systems may be employed
to produce such a warning, they are - the flapper switch and -the angle of attack sensor. They must activate for each normal configuration at a speed of Vsw
(velocity of stall warning) + 5 kt or Vsw + 5%, whichever is the greater or when the speed is decreasing at a rate of less than 1 kt/s Vsw + 3 kt or Vsw + 3%
whichever is the greater. In icing conditions the system fitted to the aeroplane is likely to be frozen and may not operate.

The automatic procedure adopted for recovery action from the stall warning is:

a. Reduce the angle of attack below the warning-activation value by pushing the nose-down and preventing the stall developing.
b. Simultaneously, apply maximum thrust/power to minimize height loss
Many GA aircraft are installed with a reed sensor which does not require any electrical power. Airflow is directed from a
scoop in the wing leading edge and into a reed and horn assembly. In the pre-stall condition, the air pressure on the leading
edge reduces (relative to cabin pressure) because the stagnation point has moved. This draws air through the reed, causing it
to vibrate at an audible frequency (much like a musical instrument); this is amplified in an acoustic horn and the crew receive
a tone. An adjustable plate is used to alter the airflow intake such that the intake is aligned with stagnation point.
The Flapper Switch- The flapper switch is a vane fitted to the leading edge of the wing and positioned just below the airflow stagnation point in level flight.
The vane is fitted with an electrical contact, which when made activates the stall warning in the cockpit. For angles of attack up to a preset angle of attack,
which is just less than the stalling angle, the vane is closed and remains flush with the surface of the wing leading edge. The switch remains open and the
electrical circuit incomplete. As the angle of attack increases the stagnation point moves aft along the lower surface of the wing downward from the leading
edge of the wing. The vane is operated by the direction of the airflow over it, which is downward until the stagnation point on the leading edge of the wing is
below the flapper vane. When this occurs the airflow reverses its direction and flows upward, which opens the vane and closes the electrical switch that
completes the electrical circuit to the stall-warning device in the cockpit.
Pressure Sensing Sensor: Another angle of attack sensor technology is based on measuring the pressure at two points on
the sensor housing, seen in Fig. The conical housing rotates on its axis; slots A and B are connected to a pressure chamber
that contains a pivoted vane. The sensor housing aligns with the angle of attack because slots A and B maintain equal
pressures on the vane, and hence the conical housing.

If the angle of attack increases, slot B has increased pressure compared with slot A. The vane moves to re-align the housing
with the airflow to equalize the pressures in both slots. Rotation of the housing is detected by a potentiometer; the centre
contact picks off a signal voltage tapped from the resistance windings and this is used to measure the angle of attack.
The Angle of Attack Sensor- If the system requires a stick shaker and/or a stick pusher to be activated as well as the stall-warning device then it is necessary
to employ a more sophisticated accurate sensing device than the flapper switch. The angle of attack sensor is used for this purpose, which consists of a synchro
attached to an aerodynamic freely rotating vane protruding from the side of the fuselage near the nose of the aeroplane. When the sensor is initially installed
the vane and the synchro are aligned against the datum marked on the fuselage, at the most efficient angle of attack for the aeroplane in the clean
configuration. The synchro is electrically connected to the stall-warning system and the stick shaker and/or the stick pusher are activated when the
aerodynamic vane attains a preset angle of attack just before the stalling angle is reached. The electrical activation circuit includes a compensation device to
allow for the changed attitude of the aeroplane when flap is deployed. There is also a weight-on-wheels microswitch that prevents the system from operating
when the aeroplane is on the ground.

A viscous damper connected to the AoA vane stabilizes vane movements and reduces the effects of turbulence. The AoA sensor contains a heater that provides
continuous de-icing/anti-icing, prevents condensation and reduces changes in damper fluid viscosity.
Stick Pusher
Some systems include a stick pusher that initiates the stall recovery automatically if the pilot fails to respond to the stall warning. The system is
activated at a predetermined angle of attack, which is greater than that which activates the stick shaker and pushes the stick forward. Aircraft prone
to succumbing to a deep stall or superstall condition or excessive wing drop, such as those with swept wings, a high-speed wing section or a ‘T’ tail
configuration, have such a device always included in the design. This is because on those aeroplanes the airflow over the tailplane, which would
assist the stall recovery for a normal aeroplane, is absent; turbulent airflow virtually covers the whole tailplane, making it ineffective. The system
prevents the pilot from increasing the angle of attack any further.
On some aircraft, where the buffet preceding a stall is absent or could be confused with turbulence, in particular heavy aircraft with powered controls, a stick
shaker is incorporated to simulate the pre-stall buffet effect of turbulent airflow over the elevators.

On larger aircraft the stall warning system comprises an angle of attack vane and stick shaker. A motor is attached to one or both control columns; an
out-of-balance weight is attached to the motor shaft so that it vibrates when the motor is running. The motor design is matched to the control column to provide
a distinctive frequency of approximately 10–30 Hz together with physical movement of the controls. A sensor, on the angle of attack vane, that detects the
angle of attack and the rate of change of the angle of attack, feeds a signal to the stick-shaker motor when either parameter indicates an approach to the stall and
makes the control column vibrate at a similar frequency to that of the aerodynamic buffet. It operates when the IAS for a given configuration is at 1.05Vs. The
vane is a small aerodynamic wing protruding from the side of the fuselage that indicates the angle of attack visually on an appropriately etched scale.

If the pilots become distracted enough that they fail to notice an increasing angle of attack, to a point where the wing is about to cease producing sufficient lift,
an airplane equipped with a shaker/pusher system will get activated to save the day by reducing the angle of attack. More precisely, the stick shaker acts as a
stall-warning device, while the stick pusher’s job is one of stall avoidance.
The stick shaker is simply a motor with an eccentric (off-centre) weight that when energised causes a vibration on the control column. The system
is armed in flight at all times. The shaker portion of an AOA indicator is nothing more than a specially created electric motor with a flywheel
attached to a portion of the control wheel. When the AOA information gathered from the angle of attack vanes on the outside of the fuselage
increases beyond a set value, a signal is sent to the electronic flight controller that serves as the brains of the system. This computer compares the
current signal against a default value that indicates safe flight. If the AOA exceeds that value, an electric motor attached to the control wheel spins
a special flywheel that vibrates rapidly enough in fact to make the pilot’s hands shake and is impossible to ignore. The vibrations are a wake-up
call to the pilot to reduce angle of attack, an action that changes the electrical signal to the flight controller, halting the shaker.
Stall Warning System Function: The purpose of the stall warning system is to warn the pilot of an impending stall. It does so
when the aircraft approaches the stalling angle of attack for the current speed and configuration of the aircraft.

The regulatory margin between the stall and the stall warning is 5 knots or 5% of the CAS
whichever is the greater. The warning provided can be in the form of tactile, aural or visual or a combination of these
signals. Most aircraft have warning provided by stick-shakers which vibrate the control column
as well as produce a rattling noise. In fly-by-wire systems the warning consists of a cricket (insect)
sound, a synthetic voice STALL message and the red master WARNING light illumination.

The stall warning continues until the angle of attack is reduced to approximately that at which the stall warning was
initiated.

The stall warning module processes the signals from the various inputs to produce appropriate
stall warning output signals. The system has the following inputs:
• angle of attack
• flap and slat positions
• landing gear weight-on position
• airspeed
The output signals from the system can be applied to:
• a stick-shaker motor
• an angle of attack indicator aural warning
• synthetic voice warning
• red master WARNING light

A stall protection system may be fitted to large commercial aircraft, to prevent them from
entering the stall. In fly-by-wire systems, the flight computer will not allow the aircraft to
approach the stall. In other aircraft an output from the AFCS advances the throttles to full
power if there is a deceleration to below 1.2VS. On aircraft which have a T-tail a stick-pusher
may be fitted, to push the control column forward in the event that the aircraft slows to 2 kt
above the stall speed. This will prevent the aircraft entering a deep stall, from which there is
little or no chance of recovery.
A Block Diagram of the
component parts of a stall warning
system and an angle of attack
sensor