Nick Said:
Hydraulics are not necessary at all, graviman. The "power assist" could very well be electric, such electric jackscrew actuators are in normal use today on many aircraft, and they have the force to be used wherever pilot muscle power alone can be used to control an aircraft.
Nick,
Let's not go planning the funeral for hydraulic systems just yet. Tough to beat hydraulic power for its combination of load generating capability AND bandwidth. For a given electric system, bandwidth goes down with load. As the load or bandwidth requirements go up, the electric servo gets bigger. Seems the tradeoff goes to electrics for smaller aircraft to me.
But, I do agree the future is electric. Whether it is electric-hydraulic or just electric, time will tell.
-- IFMU
