Dear techie types,
There was a question in my JAR ATPL instruments assessment that went something like this:
For a rate gyro controlling the pitch channel in a AFCS, which axis whould the sensitive axis be aligned with? The correct answer was the pitch axis. Quoting directly from our notes on AFCS:
Rate Sensing Gyro. When a gyro is aligned with its sensitive axis parallel to an axis, it will detect any rotation of the aeroplane around that axis.
How can this be true? If the gyro is spinning round the lateral or pitching axis of the aeroplane, how can it detect a pitch? The aeoplane will also be rotating around the same axis, so no force will be applied to the rim of the gyro. Could someone please explain this to me, or are my notes talking nonsense?
Thanks, TB