27 Flight Controls

1. Which flight controls are part of the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS)?
A. Ailerons, Flaperons, Elevator, Horizontal stabilizer and Rudder.

2. What are the core components of the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS)?
A. Three Primary Flight Computers (PFC) and
Four Actuator Control Electronics (ACE).

3. What are the main functions of a Primary Flight Computer (PFC)?

A. 1. Control laws ('normal' and 'secondary' modes).
2. Flight Envelope Protection (FEP).
3. Flight augmentation.

4. What are the main functions of an Actuator Control Electronics (ACE)?

A. 1. Data conversion (A/D and D/A).
2. Servo loop control.
3. Control laws in the Direct mode.

5. Can the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) still operate if only battery
power is available, and if so which part?
A. Yes, the left and center PFCS channels can use battery power.

6. Which components contain the circuitry for Power Control Unit (PCU) servo
loop control and monitoring?
A. Actuator Control Electronics (ACE).

7. Which Actuator Control Electronics (ACE) is not powered from a Flight Control
A. DC Power Supply Assembly (FCDCPSA)?
Left 2 Actuator Control Electronics (ACE).

8. What is the 'Secondary mode' of the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS)?
A. PFCs and ACEs are used.
ADIRU and SAARU data is lost.
The PFCS cannot provide Flight Envelope Protection (FEP).

9. Which components contain the circuitry for backdrive actuator servo loop
control and monitoring? Are they all in use for this?
A. Autopilot and Flight Director (APFD) Computers. Only left and right APFD
computers have backdrive actuators connected.
List the signal/data flow for manual flight control operation.
1. Wheel, column and pedal transducers.
2. Actuator Control Electronics (ACEs).
3. Primary Flight Computers (PFCs).
4. Actuator Control Electronics (ACEs).
5. Power Control Units (PCUs).

10. List the signal/data flow for autopilot commanded flight control operation.
A. 1. Autopilot/Flight Director Computer (AFDC).
2. Primary Flight Computers (PFCs).
3. Actuator Control Electronics (ACEs).
4. Power Control Units (PCUs).

11. List the signal/data flow for backdrive actuator operation.

1. Primary Flight Computers (PFCs).
2. Autopilot/Flight Director Computer (AFDC).
3. Backdrive actuators.

12. How do you make sure the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) does not
drain the main battery after electric power down?
A. Check if the pressure in all hydraulic systems is less than 1000 psi.

13. What happens in the Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) if the switch A.
'Primary Flight Computers' on P5 is moved to DISCONNECT?
A. The PFCS goes to 'direct' mode.

14. Mention some of the augmentation functions of the Primary Flight Computers
(PFC).
A. Speed stability, Yaw damper, Gust response and Modal stability.

15. What is Thrust Asymmetry Compensation (TAC)?

A. Automatic rudder trim application, based on differences in engine thrust.

16. What is the purpose of the dampers in the wheel, column and pedal
mechanisms?
A. To prevent oscillations when returning to neutral.

17. Which part of a PCU transforms an electric control signal into a hydraulic
signal?
A. The Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve (EHSV).

18. What kind of devices are force transducers?

A. LVDTs inside a spring.

19. What is the function of force transducers in the roll mechanism?

A. 1. Bank Angle Protection (BAP) override.
2. Provide signals to the Flight Data Recorder (FDR).

20. How is aileron trim accomplished?

A. An aileron trim actuator changes the neutral position of the centering
mechanism.
If both electrical and hydraulic power have been removed from the aircraft, in

21. which mode will the aileron and flaperon PCUs be?
A. Aileron PCUs are in Blocking/damped mode, while Flaperon PCUs are in
Bypass mode.
22. What is Bank Angle Protection (BAP)?
A. When bank angle exceeds the limit of 35 degrees, backdrive actuators are
used to provide feel forces to the crew.

23. How would the crew be made aware of a mode change in the Primary Flight
Control System (PFCS)?
A. EICAS messages.
No messages show if the PFCS is in 'normal' mode.
FLIGHT CONTROL MODE shows if the system is in 'secondary' mode.
PRI FLIGHT COMPUTERS shows if ACEs are in the 'direct' mode.

24. How are wheel, column and pedal Position Transducers used by the Primary
Flight Control System (PFCS)?
A. The transducers on each side (L, R) are mid-value voted, then the left and
right signals are averaged.

25. Can the Primary Flight Computers (PFC) have different outputs? Please
explain.
A. No, in each PFC all three PFC outputs are mid-value voted.

26. Where is the circuitry for controlling the Power Control Units (PCU)? (servo
loop control).
A. In the Actuator Control Electronics (ACE).

27. Which flight controls are locked out during cruise flight, and why?
A. Ailerons, to prevent over control at high airspeeds.
Spoiler 5 and 10, to prevent tail buffeting.

28. What is aileron and flaperon droop?

A. Ailerons and flaperons move to a new neutral position when flaps are
extended.

29. How would the PCAs for spoiler 4 and 11 respond if there is both a roll and a
speedbrake input?
A. The PCA would move to its full deflection (45°).

30. What type of device is the speedbrake lever transducer?

A. An assembly with four RVDTs inside.

31. When would spoilers go to their maximum extension?

A. During ground speedbrake operation.

32. How is a flight control PCU rigged?

A. First read the manual (RTFM). Select the alignment function on the MAT. This
will place the other PCU(s) in the Bypass mode, and the PCU to be rigged in
the null position. Then use the null LVDT on the PCU to adjust the physical
position of the flight control.

33. How is a spoiler PCU rigged?

A. First read the manual (RTFM). It is done by adjusting the piston rod length.
34. What controls auto speedbrake operation and in which mode is that function
available?
A. Controlled by PFCs. This is only available in NORMAL mode.

35. How does auto speedbrake operate in case of a Rejected Take-Off (RTO)?
A. First, a mechanism lifts the speedbrake lever out of the DOWN detent. Then,
a switch operated by that mechanism informs the ACEs and the PFCs. The
PFCs then provide the extend signal, so that the ACEs can energize the auto-
speedbrake actuator relays.

36. Why does the rudder trim selector have three detent positions?
A. First to arm the trim actuator, then in 'normal' and 'secondary' modes there
are two different trim rates available.

37. When is the function of the Manual Trim Cancel (MTC) switch available?
When PFCs are available, so in the 'normal' and 'secondary' modes only.
A. In normal operation, when would rudder PCUs work with high pressure?
Below 500 ft Radio Altitude or when flaps and slats are extended.

38. What is the purpose of the crossed wires between Actuator Control Electronics
(ACE) and Power Control Units (PCU)?
A. To accommodate for ACE or PCU failure modes automatically.

39. Why is the Manual Trim Cancel (MTC) switch not available in 'direct' mode?
A. The PFCs normally keep track of 'manual trim'. PFCs are not available in
'direct' mode.

40. In which modes is the 'yaw damper' function available?

A. In 'normal' mode. In 'secondary' mode the function may be degraded.

41. Which components contain the command circuits to drive the rudder trim
actuator?
A. The Actuator Control Electronics (ACE).

42. How is 'elevator feel' accomplished?

A. Two mechanisms each have an actuator which varies spring tension in the
columns centering mechanism as a function of airspeed.

43. What will make the elevator feel actuator extend and what is the result of
that?
A. The actuator extends for high speeds. It increases the feel force on the control
column.

44. Which of the flight control Power Control Units (PCU) can be in a fully locked
mode, and when will that happen?
A. Elevator PCUs. This will happen if two PCUs or ACEs on the same elevator
fail.
45. Explain how the stabilizer can have different trim rates.
A. First, hydraulic motors can have two different speeds, depending on airspeed.
Second, the control path selection logic will determine if one or two motors are
used.

46. A brake bypass button is on each Stabilizer Trim Control Module (STCM).
What does it do?
A. It is used during maintenance checks of the stabilizer secondary brakes.
Pushing the button removes brake release pressure in order to test for correct
brake operation.

47. How many hydraulic motors are used to trim the stabilizer in the 'normal'
mode?
A. That depends on the conditions;
In flight: The 'elevator offload' function control path logic will select one or two
motors.
On ground: 'Control path logic' always selects two motors.
In 'Direct' mode only one motor is used.

48. What causes an extension of the 'green band' and how does that involve the
nose gear pressure transducer?
A. The extension follows from the input of Center of Gravity (CG) into the Flight
Management Computing Function (FMCF) during flight preparation. The nose
gear pressure is then used to cross check the actual conditions of the aircraft
with the set CG.

49. Explain stabilizer manual trim during flight in the 'normal' mode.
A. Pitch trim switch signals input into the 'speed stability' function, this will cause
the elevators to move, then the 'elevator offload function' trims the stabilizer.

50. In relation to flight controls, what is the purpose of the Specific Maintenance
Tasks (SMT) field on the EICAS maintenance page chapter 31?
A. It is the location where you can read the result of flight critical tests.