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Activsense Sidestick: A Force Sensing And Force Feedback Joystick, Kobbe Farwick

Electrical Engineering

As aircraft systems continue to become more integrated and fully electronic, hence fly-by-wire, the pilot is slowly losing the physical cues that were once relied upon for the safe operation of the aircraft. Many commercial airliners, such as Airbus, use passive sidesticks that integrate with the electronic flight controls system. These sidesticks move much like a gaming joystick which results in the pilot not having any “feel” for the aerodynamic forces present on the control surfaces. Without the force feedback of a mechanically linked control system the pilot could inadvertently stall the aircraft or place it into an unstable flight …