[Prophet in the wilderness]

They are fly by wire, but, in the PBS NOVA special ( 21 st century jet , the building of the 777 ) I saw of the 777, one of the technical engineers said that calling those system " FLY BY WIRE " is a misnomer and not accurate.

When you talk about " Fly by wire " it's really ( Actualization by wire ).
Were instead of having the metal cables that go the the control surfaces actuators that move the control surfaces either in the wing, ailerons, vertical or horizontal stabilizers, or the rudder, you have the electric current that moves through the wires to the actuators.

The actuators are controlled either by the pilot by manual operation or the computer to the control surfaces actuator ( I am sure they have some kind of redundancy in the systems ).

In Boeing's philosophy though, they went the conservative root and still left it up to the pilot in the end , the control and judgment up to the pilot.

[phantomworker]

"In Boeing's philosophy though, they went the conservative route and still left it up to the pilot in the end , the control and judgment up to the pilot."

I have also heard it called "actualization by wire" which is why I was surprised it was even called fly-by-wire (usually considered an Airbus differentiator). I would think most Americans prefer giving ultimate control to the pilot.

I went on a flight test of a new 777-200LR before certification. Even with a stripped down interior and the variety of tests going on such as A/C and smoke (cough, cough) going on, it was a quiet, impressive ride. From Seattle down to SF, back to Seattle, to Glasgow, Montana, to Seattle, to SF, and finally back to Seattle (approx 10 hr). The in-flight pax entertainment system was great as well with the GPS monitors that show where the plane was at any time.

Can't wait for the 787.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Actualization by wire

Sounds like a hippie techno meditation thing.... I can see why fly by wire terminology is used.

[elbucko]

In Boeing's philosophy though, they went the conservative root and still left it up to the pilot in the end , the control and judgment up to the pilot.

As well Boeing should. After all, the pilot is the one that's going to die first.

[WildTurkey]

you have the electric current that moves through the wires to the hydraulic actuators.