Design and certification of a fly-by-wire system with minimal impact on the existing flight controls

P.M.T. Zaal, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
D.M. Pool, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
F.N. Postema, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
A.C. in ‘t Veld, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
M. Mulder, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
M.M. van Paassen, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
J.A. Mulder, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology operates a Cessna Citation II laboratory aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with an advanced flight test instrumentation system and is used for research and student educational flights. The aircraft has a conventional reversible control system, combined with an analog electric automatic control system. To accommodate new research projects a novel fly-by-wire control system is developed. The fly-by-wire system is based on the original automatic control system of the aircraft, reducing the impact on the original flight controls, minimizing aircraft modifications, and inheriting the safety features of the original control system. As a result, the complexity of the certification process and costs could be significantly reduced. The new system will be used for research into novel flight control algorithms, optimal input signals for aircraft model identification, the identification of multimodal pilot control behavior, and novel humanmachine interfaces.