Originally Posted by
bsieker
By the same reasoning why it was ok in earlier (think 707) models to include an analogue electronic device that does almost exactly the same thing, to bring the 707 in line with the same certification requirement.
Why would it not be ok? All fly-by-wire airliners, i. e. practically all that were developed since the late 1980s, cannot demonstrate unassisted control forces, because it is all artificial. That is even true for fully conventionally controlled aircraft such as the 747. Even the Comet (which predates the 707) had no aerodynamically created control forces, but fully powered flight control surfaces and only a spring-loaded artificial feel system.
Bernd
Nobody is saying FBW is bad, it works fine for Airbus! But if a plane is FBW it should be certified as FBW, which means the failure modes of necessary sensors, control algorithms and servos get carefully analysed by a third party for design weaknesses like a single point sensor failure. Which is where the US process failed with the Max 8 failed egregiously.
Edmund