Stability & Control

Aircraft Stability and Control
Augmentation
Prepared
by
A.Kaviyarasu
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Madras Institute Of Technology
Chromepet, Chennai
Inner-Loop Stability and Control
• The dynamic stability characteristics of aircraft have been
improved during the past 50 years using a variety of inner-
loop feedback control systems.
• Inner loop simply refers to the fact that these systems are
represented as the inner loop in a block diagram
representation when married with outer-loop autopilot
modes such as attitude hold.
• Inner-loop feedback control systems has been grouped into

three broad categories. stability augmentation systems,
control augmentation systems and fly-by-wire systems.
Stability augmentation systems (SAS)
• Stability augmentation systems (SAS) were the first feedback
control system designs intended to improve dynamic stability
characteristics of an aircraft.
• It is also referred as dampers, stabilizers, and stability augmenters.
• Aircraft such as the F-104, T-37, T-38, and F-4 had SAS.
• These systems generally feedback an aircraft motion parameter,

such as pitch rate, to provide a control deflection that opposed the
motion and increased damping characteristics.
• The SAS had to be integrated with the primary mechanical control system
of the aircraft consisting of the stick, pushrods, cables, and bellcranks
leading to the control surface or the hydraulic actuator that activated the
control surface.
• The control authority (percentage of full surface deflection available) of

SAS was generally limited to about 10%.
• One problem with SAS was the fact that the feedback loop provided a
command that opposed pilot control inputs. As a result, the aircraft
became less responsive for a given stick input.
• This was typically addressed with the addition of a washout filter in the
feedback loop that attenuated the feedback signal for constant values of
the aircraft motion parameter
Simplified SAS
• Another concern was the limited authority of the SAS actuator that was
necessitated by safety-of-flight requirements.
• SAS sensors and computers were normally non redundant or dual

redundant and thus did not approach the system reliability of the
mechanical flight control system.
• Although ,SAS was effective in improving aircraft flying qualities.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Northrop-T38
LockheedF-104
Cessna T37
Control Augmentation Systems
• The next step in the evolution of aircraft feedback control system was
control augmentation systems (CAS).
• With a CAS, a pilot stick input is provided to the flight control system in
two ways
– through the mechanical system

– through the CAS electrical path.
• The CAS design eliminated the SAS problem of pilot inputs being opposed
by the feedback loop.
• Aircraft such as the A-7, F-111, F-14, and F-15 have CAS
A-7 D/E Corsair II F-111 Aardvark
Medium Tactical/ Strategic Bomber
Grumman F-14 McDonnell Douglas F-15

Simplified CAS
• Additional reliability was designed into CAS so that the control authority
could be increased (to approximately 50%). With a CAS, the aircraft
dynamic response is typically well-damped, and control response is
scheduled with the control system gains to maintain desirable
characteristics throughout the flight envelope.
• CAS provided dramatic improvements in aircraft handling qualities. Both

dynamic stability and control response characteristics could be tailored
and optimized to the mission of the aircraft.
Fly by wire system
• Based on the excellent handling qualities achieved with CAS, the next
logical step in feedback control systems development was to remove the
mechanical control system and provide the CAS full authority. Such
systems are known as fly-by-wire (FBW) systems.
• This major advantage of using wire system is its reliability. It achieve the
reliability by using triple and quad redundancy component along with
self testing software.
• Aircraft such as the F-16, C-17, and F-22 have FBW system. In the case of
the F-22, another term, fly-by-light, is sometimes used to indicate that
fiber-optic links are used rather than wire.
Fighting Falcon-F16 Boeing C17 Globe master
Lockheed martin_F-22A
• The full authority provided by FBW allows very
significant tailoring of stability and control
characteristics.
• This ability has led to FBW systems with several

feedback parameters and weighting of feedback gains
based on flight condition and other parameters.
• Block diagrams for FBW systems can become complex

because of the number of feedback sensors involved.
• Some of the typical “inner loop” systems are
– Yaw damper
– Pitch damper
– Roll damper
– Angle of attack feedback
– Load factor feedback
• Some of the typical “outer loop” systems are

– Pitch attitude hold
– Altitude hold
– Bank angle hold
– Heading hold
Thank you

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Aircraft Stability and Control

• Inner-loop feedback control systems has been grouped into

• It is also referred as dampers, stabilizers, and stability augmenters.

• These systems generally feedback an aircraft motion parameter,

• The control authority (percentage of full surface deflection available) of

• SAS sensors and computers were normally non redundant or dual

• Although ,SAS was effective in improving aircraft flying qualities.

– through the mechanical system

Grumman F-14 McDonnell Douglas F-15

• CAS provided dramatic improvements in aircraft handling qualities. Both

• This ability has led to FBW systems with several

• Block diagrams for FBW systems can become complex

• Some of the typical “outer loop” systems are

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