normb@tekred.UUCP (Norm Babcock ) (04/06/85)
This months Mechanixs Illus has an article on the X-29, written by the test pilot. After the usual stuff about how tough it is to get a new plane into the air, (preflight checks take over an hour), they talked a little about the flight control systems. There are three voting on-board flight computers. Two can fail, the remaining can control the plane. They call it 'fly-by-wire'. If all three are fail, it changes to 'fly- by- prayer'. Evidently the aircraft is so unstable in pitch because of the swept forward wings, that they estimate it would take just two-tenths of a second to self-destruct, due to excessive loads. The pilot did say that the thing is a joy to fly. I'd bet that X-29 pilots will get real close to their friendly computer maintenance man. tektronix!tekred!normb