Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System — A Technology under Evaluation for Rotorcraft

Aviation industries have always been looking forward for new developments with the objective to produce aircraft with less carbon footprint, improved performance, handling qualities and comfort. One of the important contributors to achieve the various desired benefits is "Flight Control System". In order to achieve these benefits, fixed-wing aircraft have been using Fly-by-Wire technology since 1960s and moved to latest Power-by-Wire technology through passing of conventional flight control actuation system technologies. However, when one looks at the rotary-wing aircraft, this is not so where still most of the in-service helicopters are flying with conventional mechanical or hydro-mechanical flight control system. The first rotorcraft could enter into service with this advanced technology only in early 2000s after a gap of more than three decades of use on fixed-wing aircraft. The chronology of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft for use of digital fly-by-wire technology is well evaluated and presented here. This paper provides the various causes for slow progress in implementation of this advanced technology on rotorcraft and the same has been evaluated on various issues over the conventional hydro-mechanical system.