Fly-By-Wire

Fly–by–wire system replaced the conventional mechanical linkage of flying controls with electronic interface. The supersonic Concorde can be considered as the first and isolated civil aircraft equipped with (analogue) fly-by-wire system. In the early 1980’s Airbus commercialized this concept by introducing fly by wire system to Airbus family.  From airbus's smallest aircraft – the A318 – to its double-decker A380 is controlled by fly-by-wire .

The conventional control yoke was replaced with sidestick. When a pilot move the sidestick, the electronic signals are transmitted though the multiple wires to the flight control computers. Then the flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control surface to sidestick command. Once a control surface is in the correct place, the computer freezes the component, ensuring the pilot’s commands are followed. Fly-by-wire eliminated cranks, gears, pulleys and cables that were used in mechanical control system. The computers are also capable of stabilizing the aircraft automatically without pilot’s knowledge. Nowadays, wires are replaced with fiber optic cables and the system is called fly-by-optics or fly-by-light.