I am not an aircraft designer, but in a helicopter FBW design it would make sense to actually start the FBW infrastructure _behind_ a normal mechanical dual control system.
Such a system would allow normal handling by pilots during operation and during instruction, and still provide the benefits of FBW (thanks for the swiss cliff example). In other words, the stronger one wins without confusing the electronics....
I fail to understand why this is not done on planks as well, but maybe the designers thought all this complicated logic makes definitely more sense than taking the risk of the co-pilot bumping into the controls while he gets up to get a coffee from the back.
Last edited by Runway101; 5th Oct 2009 at 14:19.