The Seven Parameters of Highly Effective Cable Control Systems

Despite the recent trend toward increased use of Fly-By-Wire systems, conventional cable control systems remain a popular option for most general aviation aircraft, as they provide a reliable and economical way of controlling aircraft. Cables, however, elongate under load due to the nature of their braided construction and impose unique system characteristics which will affect an airplane’s handling qualities and aeroelastic stability. But those characteristics can be effectively controlled by carefully laying out kinematics of individual cable loops and linkages within the system. This paper identifies major design parameters of the cable control system and discusses how those parameters determine the mechanical characteristics of the system, focusing mainly on the aileron controls. A major objective of this paper is to provide useful guides for flight controls designers to lay out effective system geometries that will fulfill intended performance and characteristics of the cable control systems.