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This Lecture By An F-22 Test Pilot On The Raptor's Flight Control System Is Bonkers
www.thedrive.com ^ | July 11, 2020 | By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on 07/13/2020 10:33:23 AM PDT by Red Badger

The video highlights just how much fly-by-wire automation is needed to make the Raptor's super maneuverability a reality.

Lt. Col. Randy "Laz" Gordon is an accomplished test pilot, engineer, and F-22 Raptor squadron commander who lent his expertise about all things aviation, and especially about the F-22's incredible fly-by-wire flight control system, to students taking MIT's Private Pilot Ground School in 2019. His lecture is astonishingly accessible considering the complexities of the systems and concepts he describes and will give anyone a remarkable appreciation for just how incredible the super-maneuverable Raptor'sflight control system really is.

Gordon covers so much ground in his talk. He talks about the constant tension between low-observability (stealth) and aerodynamics that resulted in the F-22's design, the massive loads the Raptor's powerful flight control system and its huge control surfaces have to instantly counteract, how supersonic flight requires unique flight control concepts, and even how permanent magnetic generators keep power running to the F-22's flight controls just by having the engines windmill.

There is truly an astonishing amount of information in this presentation and it also acts as a great primer for anyone who is new to the concept of fly-by-wire flight control systems.

=============================================================================

Some other interesting tidbits include:

* Raptor pilots make sure their hands are off the flight controls and visible when ground crews are working around a running jet because one touch of the stick could cause the 4,000psi hydraulic system to send a control surface into deflection which can decapitate a ground crewman.

* Although the F-22's high altitude capabilities, partially a product of its thrust vectoring capabilities, are known, Gordon notes the aircraft flies at altitudes from 60,000-65,000 feet.

* He describes the pressure-sensitive sidestick control concept, which moves less than a half-inch, very well. The concept was pioneered by the F-16, with the YF-16's sidestick not moving at all before changes were made.

* The flight controls page on the F-22's multi-function-display is really well described here. The level of automation and simple symbology to describe complex issues is remarkable.

* The F-22 knows it is about to take off and automatically reconfigures the plane for departure. It does the same upon touchdown.

* Multiple other automation flight logic modes, in which the flight control system sets to totally different parameters, exist. This is not uncommon on other fly-by-wire aircraft, like airliners, but the F-22's huge flight envelope makes them far more pronounced.

* There is a mode for aerial refueling to give the jet the best fine handling behind the tanker.

* In aerial combat mode, you put pressure on the stick and it locks in a G-rate for a turn and stays there even if you take your hand off the stick.

* When landing, it goes into a pitch command mode, where the pilot simply directs the pitch of the aircraft and it stays there.

* A large number of limiters are used to make sure the jet is not capable of being structurally overloaded and it even automatically unloads individual parts of the aircraft during certain maneuvers by using flight control surfaces non-traditionally.

* When an F-22 drops a weapon, namely a 1,000lb JDAM, fuel automatically sloshes forward to maintain center of gravity. There is no fuel panel on the jet to command this, it is all part of the control logic.

=========================================================================

Check out the whole video for yourself below:

Although it is not formally talked about in the presentation, as we have discussed in the past, low-observability is also factored into flight control systems on stealthy aircraft. This would be yet another layer to the F-22's flight control programming.

What parts did you find interesting? Let us know in the comments below!

Author's note: A big thanks to David Williams for sending this little gem over.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: aerospace; davidwilliams; f16; f22; f22raptor; lazgordon; mit; randygordon; randylazgordon; raptor; tylerrogoway; yf16
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1 posted on 07/13/2020 10:33:23 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Seen one fairly close doing ‘acrobatics” at an airshow.

Don’t know much about planes, but to me it seemed really remarkable.


2 posted on 07/13/2020 10:35:12 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

It’s fly-by-wire, so it CAN ACTUALLY DO MORE THAN THE PILOT CAN!.......................


3 posted on 07/13/2020 10:37:56 AM PDT by Red Badger (To a liberal, 9-11 was 'illegal fireworks activity'..........................)
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To: Red Badger

Bring on the F22 drone plz.


4 posted on 07/13/2020 10:40:19 AM PDT by cranked
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To: Red Badger

When I was flight test at Edwards back when there were only two F-16s (tail # 567 & 568 - go figure), one of the first high speed taxi tests turned into an unplanned flight due to that control stick not moving. The pilot had no real feel feedback relating to pressure vs control deflection. That changed after that flight - as described now, those pressure sensitive controls move a bit in order to allow our proprioceptive feedback a little input in the action. :-)


5 posted on 07/13/2020 10:45:53 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Red Badger
"Loose lips sink ships"

Detailed technical discussions of our modern war birds SHOULD NOT BE DISCUSSED PUBLICLY.

6 posted on 07/13/2020 10:46:20 AM PDT by CivilWarBrewing (Get off my back for my usage of CAPS, especially you snowflake males! MAN UP!)
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To: Red Badger
Yes. All chinese students aka CCP spies already zoom-casting these lectures back to their handlers via there smartphones running on china telecom.

Stop. I forgot. the professors(and also )maybe generals, the officers at lockheed/boing etc.- that deny me- job for not having secret clearnace - are already on CCP payroll

7 posted on 07/13/2020 10:47:25 AM PDT by va22030
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To: Red Badger

Well let’s tell the World all about it. Somebody should shut this idiot down. No need to make it easier on other people.


8 posted on 07/13/2020 10:49:27 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: Red Badger

Wait one darn Minute. Doesn’t this Black guy know that the Democrats think he is too stupid to fly an F-22 or even a Cessna 150?


9 posted on 07/13/2020 10:52:00 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative ( Kill a Commie for your Mommy.)
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To: Red Badger

Got to watch F-22s ‘dog-fight’ F-15s over Okinawa back in 2007 - impressive maneuverability.


10 posted on 07/13/2020 10:53:13 AM PDT by Psalm 73
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To: Red Badger; Lazamataz
The amazing thing here is that no one has noticed this guy's call sign is 'Laz'.

I'd hit it - With an F-22!

11 posted on 07/13/2020 10:57:10 AM PDT by real saxophonist (If you believe masks work, you also believe Santa Claus ate the Easter Bunny for dinner.)
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To: Red Badger

Ping for later


12 posted on 07/13/2020 10:58:29 AM PDT by Menehune56 ("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC))
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To: CivilWarBrewing; DesertRhino; Red Badger
Early in the Obama administration, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates succeeded in his effort to kill the F-22 program. The assembly line was shut down after the last Raptor was delivered in 2012. Some air power advocates believe that capping production at 195 planes was a big mistake.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2016/7/1/2016july-f22-restart-might-not-be-beneficial-for-lockheed-martin

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sold everything classified of value to anyone with the money while she was there, and I'm sure the Raptor was included.

13 posted on 07/13/2020 10:58:54 AM PDT by eldoradude (Boycott Chinese made goods)
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To: Red Badger

Yep - fighter pilots are an amazing group of people! His point - all pilots are amazing people too! I’ve flown Cessna’s and F-16, F-15s. Not much different except the speed, time compression, and G loads. They all fly basically the same.

My daughter is now an Air Force Pilot, things have changed —better nav aids, communications, and weather forecasting than the wild west days of my youth.

Glad to see MIT is taking advantage of his unique perspectives in their engineering programs.

BTW - I worked with many Hispanic, Asian, and Black pilots during my time in the AF - we were/are our own ethnicity (all pilots).


14 posted on 07/13/2020 11:07:13 AM PDT by EdgeOfDarkness
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To: CivilWarBrewing

There is nothing classified in what he describes - hearing it is not doing it. Everything is in the public domain and in fact most of what he describes is already in use by manufactures all over the world - Airbus has many of these features


15 posted on 07/13/2020 11:20:45 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: real saxophonist

2nd thing I noticed.
I didn’t know our Laz was so young!


16 posted on 07/13/2020 12:09:30 PM PDT by Zathras
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To: Red Badger; Lazamataz

LAZ?

Is their something you ain’t tellin’ us?????


17 posted on 07/13/2020 12:12:05 PM PDT by null and void (Quarantine the sick. Shield the vulnerable. Free everyone else!)
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To: real saxophonist

I’d hit it with a control sick in a cock pit...


18 posted on 07/13/2020 12:13:19 PM PDT by null and void (Quarantine the sick. Shield the vulnerable. Free everyone else!)
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To: null and void

Stick, now there’s a Freudian slip!


19 posted on 07/13/2020 12:14:45 PM PDT by null and void (Quarantine the sick. Shield the vulnerable. Free everyone else!)
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Which button transforms it into Starscream?


20 posted on 07/13/2020 12:20:34 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (Fact: Gun control laws kill innocents.)
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