Active Sidesticks Pave Gulfstream Flight Control Path
The BAE active inceptor sidesticks are a key feature in the G500 and G600 fly-by-wire flight control system.
Gulfstream’s new fly-by-wire G500 and G600 are the first of the manufacturer’s business jets to be equipped with BAE Systems active inceptor sidesticks. The G650 is Gulfstream’s first jet with full fly-by-wire flight controls, but its cockpit is equipped with dual yokes that are mechanically interconnected. The BAE sidesticks are also connected and move together, but that connection is strictly electronic, not mechanical. What the BAE sidesticks do for Gulfstream is preserve simultaneous stick movement in a fly-by-wire environment, so both pilots still have the visual cue of seeing what the other pilot’s controls are doing at all times, while also preserving the feel of flying a Gulfstream jet.
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