Still confusion about MCAS
Salute!
@Ricky Answer to your original question is easy----- NO!
@Thrust... Great analogy with the power steering. I used that same one with my wife. Last thing I want, and sje agreed, was the power steering to get easier the more I turned the wheel. And the auto folks figured this out back in the late 50's. My first experience with an inlaw's car was a surprise. But within a few years we had better control valve configurations and then some inputs from speed. Hmmmm..... starting to sound like some airplane systems intended to "help" as well as keep the pointy end forward.
Back at Ricky and Thrust........ It ain't "feel". It's the basic aero characteristic of the MAX when at high AoA. So they called it "Maneuvering CHaractersitic .........." Unlike previous versions, this new critter had less inherent aero resistance to increasing AoA than required/desireable. In other words, it could be possible that eventually your AoA might keep increasing while you had the yoke/column/stick neutral. Not good.
The Boeing fix was not to screw with the "feel". Instead, by moving the stab, then the existing flight control stuff could save the day and the plane would pass the certification requirements. Although intended for high altitude and maneuvering flight, the accident MCAS scenarios happened at low altitude and slow speed and at the tail end of a critical phase of flight. Oh yeah........ the damned wheel was shaking like crazy and there were various warning lights.
In the 'bus, there is a last ditch feature called "direct law". So even if the AoA data and air data is FUBAR, your stick movement will command control surface movement at some default ratio. It's like the cable/pulley/pushrod stuff our 737 golden arms talk about. It's like your auto power steering as far as you can tell. And the 'bus is more aerodynamically capable of meetinfg the cert requirements due to its basic design, unlike the new 737 MAX.
Gums.....
Last edited by gums; 28th Apr 2019 at 00:06.