On Jun 19, 10:15 am, "BDS" wrote:
"Ken S. Tucker" wrote

Yup, electronics/electrical is the wave of the future,
and that's from a guy who prefers crank windows to
them thar fancy power windows in cars!
From satellite technology, to your hard-drive motors,
to auto focusing cameras...we're in the digital servo-
-age. May dinosaurs R.I.P.
Ken

It will be difficult to compete with mechanical actuation as far as
reliability vs. cost in a product meant for the consumer market, and in a
critical application such as movement of control surfaces.

Satellite technology won't be cheap enough for GA, and I've had enough
hard-drive, camera, and consumer electronics problems to know I don't want
that level of reliability in an aircraft. If your camera refuses to focus
properly, nobody dies.

Our aircraft uses servos in the autopilot system. In the last 16 years
we've had both the pitch and trim servos fail. Consider the consequences of
that if the servos were the primary means of control.

I studied your post carefully, and I agree.
The system, works like,
......actuators......
a--/\/\/---/\/\/---b
.......1........2..........

True actuator #1 can fail, then actuator #2
still works, then actuator #1 is replaced.
Asking the question about the F-16, "fly-by-
wire" fighter, dated 1972, do we have failures
due to the electonics and servos?
Ken