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Flight control limits: F-16 case
In military vehicles, one of the primary tasks of autopilots is to stabilize the aircraft. These devices also help the pilot focus on the overall status of the aircraft and other flight tasks.
The autopilot automates the flight process by maintaining the aircraft within the desired flight envelope and guiding the aircraft through a given course. However, due to the complex nature of aerothermodynamics, autopilots face certain limitations.
One of the consequences that yield these limitations is known as deep stall. It is a condition of uncontrolled flight in which the aircraft is locked at a high AoA and most control surfaces are rendered useless due to the boundary layer separation. Thus, flight controls with conventional control surfaces are limited to operate out of these conditions.
This is the case of the F-16’s advanced flight control system. It was designed to provide exceptional flying qualities. However, if the flight control fails to maintain the aircraft within the flight envelope, departures from the controller may occur leading to a deep stall. To face this situation, pilots must follow very specific actions to recover the aircraft control, as presented in…
