Originally Posted by Astro14
But no one has accurately counted how many saves FBW has had through its many advances over conventional flight control systems, including stall protection, bank limiting, wind shear recovery, terrain avoidance, etc.
In the Airbus, there are seven flight control computers operating through multiple channels. The plane can be flown, with degraded envelope protection and performance, on just two
Exactly!
Clearly, the things we've been doing are working. Far fewer passenger airline crashes than in the past. It's wonderful to point to the human element, namely the superb training that many crews receive (endure) but there is no question that technology is a big factor.
FBW offers safety and performance advantages (remember that in aviation, performance is often synonymous with safety, such as stopping shorter on wet runways) An example of things that can and do happen: The loss of LH aileron actuator functionality on a G650ER does not jam up the rest of the system. Roll performance is achieved by the 7 remaining flight controls, the RH aileron and the 6 remaining spoilers. Not to mention the possibility of differential elevators.
Load relief is another. Where heavy turbulence loads can be relieved for a smoother ride and lower airframe stresses.
We tend to concentrate on computer failures, but the reality is that the mechanical systems are often the ones that fail and the electronics are tasked with compensating.
With all that in mind, the FAA has discovered something interesting with the digital airframe. Namely the introduction of unforseen problems. Pilots may be unable to rapidly troubleshoot unusual problems, leading to confusion. The inspector I spoke with was not really talking about the 737 Max, but rather the current Cirrus piston singles and similar. Citing examples of things as simple as indicated heading errors leading to real problems.
Our G550 engines roll back to low thrust and the fuel control's metering sleeve locks in position, when the TAT (temp) probes fill with ice crystals, when at FL470 and M 0.86 (but not at lower altitudes) . This is because the ice melts, and +32F degree water contacts the thermistor, the air data computers then compensate for aerodynamic heating, telling the engine FADEC that the outside air temp is above freezing at FL470. A point at which the computer has no "look up tables" for. As it's never that warm up there. The engineers never thought of that.