Dani says:
I sometimes think about NEMPs (nuclear electro-magnetic impulses). Those would be the end for a FBW aircraft. But also for the rest of the world...
If the source of the EMP is a proximate nuclear explosion, then likely you have other problems, in addition to the possibility of being in a very large glider sans systems.
BBBBBUT, as I understand it, Mother Nature, in her capricious and pan-galactic way, can quite conceivably bring in both local and also VERY large (global) pulses of EMP-style energy that will do the same trick.
If a bit of mega-EMP from somewhere out there in the galaxies suddenly happens, it will be a bad day for laptops, cell-phones and mp3 players....and for all-electronic anythings that might be hurtling through space at the time, including most automobiles, elevators and gyro-stabilized scooters.
But will that be the end number for aircraft with electronics-intensive control systems? We know how to fairly well manage the EMP problem in flying machines......I really wonder if our current generations of commercial aircraft have that particular magic designed-in and installed - or not?
Does anybody here know if current FBW aircraft have EMP ride-thru capability? It would seem an oversight to leave it out.