Fly-by-wire flight control computers interpret pilot inputs through programmed algorithms rather than direct mechanical linkages. These operating modes dictate the level of automated flight envelope protection active at any given time. In normal operation, the system prevents stalls and overstressing the airframe, but sensor failures can force a degradation to an alternate or direct mode where the pilot assumes raw control.
Heard on the job
We lost the air data computers and degraded to alternate law, so watch your pitch on the approach.
Insider tip
Airbus pilots are intimately familiar with normal, alternate, and direct laws, as transitioning between them fundamentally changes how the stick behaves.
Also heard as
- flight control law