ABSTRACT
The flight control computer (FCS) installation was designed to allow experimental flight control laws to be installed and assessed, in flight, without significant clearance and flight safety implications. The head-up display computer and flight control computer can exchange digital information via dedicated data-links. Experience has also shown that, to achieve this objective, the flight control laws must also compensate for any limitations imposed by either the aerodynamics or the powerplant. Good handling qualities can only be achieved by implementing suitable flight control laws, which provide the link between the pilot's inceptors and the resulting aircraft response types. The handling of the latest-generation aircraft has been further enhanced by the provision of increased-authority stability augmentation and a pilot-selectable pitch- and roll-attitude hold capability. Control laws selected for testing on the Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced flight Control Harrier were subsequently assessed against a similar set of tasks in flight, although tasks involving takeoffs and non-vertical landings were not performed.
