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For clarity in
this module most
references will be
made to manual
In this module, flight inputs.
we will be looking at However, the
how an A320 pilot references apply
and the aircraft equally to
computers interface automatic flight
to ensure safe and unless stated
accurate flight with otherwise.
minimum workload
for the crew.

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 FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

A side stick or an autopilot sends a

message to the flight control computers
demanding an aircraft maneuver.

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 FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

CONTROL SURFACES

The flight control computers process the

demand and send it to the control
surfaces.

The processing uses pre-set limitations

and instructions called LAWS.

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 FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

The aircraft responds

conventionally to the movement of
control surfaces.
CONTROL SURFACES

AIRCRAFT RESPONSE TO SURFACE MOVEMENT

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 Normal Law is modified depending on the phase of flight. It operates
in 3 modes:

Ground mode:
• Operates on the ground when the aircraft is electrically and
hydraulically powered. Controls are conventional.

Flight mode:
• Operates in the air after a gradual transition from ground mode
just after lift off,
• Will be discussed in detail as this module continues.

Flight
mode

Flare Ground
mode mode
Ground
Flare mode:
mode • Modifies Flight Mode to introduce a conventional ‘feel’ to the
landing phase.
• Will be discussed later in this module.

We will compare a conventional aircraft, an A310, with the fly by

wire A320 in Normal law flight mode.

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Conventional aircraft

•Control surface deflection is directly proportional to control

yoke deflection.
•The same yoke input produces a:
- Higher rate of pitch/roll at high speed,
- Lower rate of pitch /roll at low speed.

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 Conventional aircraft

•Control surface deflection is directly proportional to control

yoke deflection.
•The same yoke input produces a:
- Higher rate of pitch/roll at high speed,
- Lower rate of pitch /roll at low speed.

•Control surface deflection is not directly proportional to side stick Fly by wire
deflection.
•A side stick deflection gives a rate demand to the Flight control aircraft
computers.
•The Flight control computers set control surface deflection to meet
the rate demand.
For the same side stick input, the control surface deflections will be:
- Large at low speed, but
- Small at high speed.
•A side stick input is a :
- Rate of roll demand in roll,
- Load factor (g) demand in pitch.
•Yaw control is conventional.

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 Remember, the FLIGHT CONTROL
A320 responds COMPUTERS
conventionally to
the movement of
control surfaces.

However,
unconventionally,
the response CONTROL SURFACES
information is fed
back to the flight
control computers.

AIRCRAFT RESPONSE TO SURFACE MOVEMENT

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 The computers process
this feedback and adjust FLIGHT CONTROL
control surface deflection COMPUTERS
to ensure that the
maneuver rate demand is
executed accurately.

This means that control

surface deflections may be
altered with no change in CONTROL SURFACES
side stick position.

AIRCRAFT RESPONSE TO SURFACE MOVEMENT

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FLIGHT CONTROLS MENU Normal law 11/36
 In flight mode, if you
wish to execute, for
example, a descending
left turn, you set the
required attitude and
then return the side
stick to neutral.
The neutral side
stick position demands
zero rates of pitch and
roll.

The flight control

computers will maintain
the set attitude until you
use the side stick to
demand an attitude
change.

Throughout the
maneuver, there are no
pilot trim inputs.

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 Turn co-ordination and “Dutch roll” damping
are automatically provided in Normal law.
Pilot inputs on the rudder pedals are not
required.

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 Normal law provides a number of airborne pitch protections. They are:

• Maneuver protection,

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 Pitch up limit

Pitch down limit

Normal law provides a number of airborne pitch protections. They are:

• Maneuver protection,
• Pitch attitude protection,

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 
AIR FLOW

Normal law provides a number of airborne pitch protections. They are:

• Maneuver protection,
• Pitch attitude protection,
• High angle of attack protection,

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 Normal law provides a number of airborne pitch protections. They are:

• Maneuver protection,
• Pitch attitude protection,
• High angle of attack protection,
• High speed protection.

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 In lateral control, there is only one
protection which is for bank angle.

Let’s take a closer look at these protections.

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MANEUVER PROTECTION

In a conventional aircraft, pilots must insure that

structural limitations are not exceeded.
However, in the A320 family, Maneuver protection is
available in Normal law.

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MANEUVER PROTECTION
Maneuver protection prevents structural
overstress by limiting control surface deflections
through the flight control computers. Full side
stick movement is always available.

The structural limitations vary with

configuration:
•In clean configuration, between +2.5 g to -1 g,
•Flaps extended, between +2 g to 0 g.

FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

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PITCH ATTITUDE PROTECTION
Pitch up limit

FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

As with the Maneuver protection, if the aircraft reaches the Pitch attitude protection
nose up limits, then the flight control computers will override pilot demands and keep the
aircraft within the safe flight limits.

The Pitch attitude protection limits are shown as small green dashes on the PFD.

Note that the pitch up values vary depending on the aircraft configuration and speed
between 30 and 20 degrees up.

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PITCH ATTITUDE PROTECTION

In the nose down case, the computers will

limit the nose down attitude at 15 degrees.

Pitch down limit

FLIGHT CONTROL
COMPUTERS

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HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROTECTION


AIR FLOW

The High angle of attack protection is

designed to prevent the aircraft from stalling
and to ensure optimum performance in
extreme maneuver such as windshear or
GPWS warning recovery.
This protection takes priority over all others.
High angle of attack limits
This protection displays information against
the PFD speed scale.

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HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROTECTION

V  PROT

Vls

As speed decreases it reaches Vls, lowest

achievable speed with autothrust engaged.

With autothrust inoperative or not engaged,

the speed can reduce to the first level of Angle
of attack protection, V alpha prot which is
shown as the top of the amber/black band
(barber pole).

The Flight control computers will maintain

the speed at V alpha prot. If engaged, the
autopilot will disconnect.

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HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROTECTION

V   MAX

If the pilots override V alpha prot using the

side stick, the speed can reduce to V alpha
max.
In Normal law, the flight control computers
will maintain V alpha max, even if a pilot holds
a side stick fully aft. Nose up pitch trim is
inhibited.

In the protection range, the Normal law

demand is modified and side stick input is an
Angle of attack demand, instead of a load
factor demand.

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HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROTECTION

Provided the autothrust is serviceable, the

speed is unlikely to reduce to V alpha max
before the Alpha floor protection is triggered.

This is indicated by an “A FLOOR”

indication on the PFD FMA and also on the
E/WD.

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HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROTECTION

V  PROT
V  MAX

If the pilot releases the side stick at V alpha

max, the speed will return to, and maintain V
alpha prot..

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HIGH SPEED PROTECTION

High speed limits

The protection we will look at now is the

High speed protection. It is designed to
prevent the aircraft from exceeding maximum
speed.

This protection limits are displayed on the

PFD speed scale.

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HIGH SPEED PROTECTION

Protection

VMO
MMO

VMO/MMO is shown as the bottom of the

red/black barber pole.

Green dashes indicate the speed at which

the protection is activated.

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HIGH SPEED PROTECTION

When the airspeed/Mach increases above

VMO/MMO, an overspeed ECAM warning is
triggered, as shown in the Autoflight chapter.

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HIGH SPEED PROTECTION

If the airspeed/Mach increases to the

protection speed, the autopilot will disengage
and the flight control computers send a pitch
up command to the control surfaces to prevent
further acceleration.

The flight control computers will permit

momentary exceedance of this speed for
maneuvering if necessary, but will then return
to the protection speed.

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HIGH SPEED PROTECTION

Notice that the pilot cannot override the

automatic pitch up .

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BANK ANGLE PROTECTION
Bank angle limits

Under Normal law, Bank angle protection

limits the angle of bank to 67 degrees, shown
by green dashes on the PFD.

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BANK ANGLE PROTECTION
Max bank angle

If the pilot holds full lateral side stick, angle

of bank will increase and maintain 67 degrees.

The flight director (FD) on the PFD will

disappear if the angle of bank exceed 45
degrees.

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BANK ANGLE PROTECTION
33º bank angle

If the side stick is released at any time when

the bank angle exceeds 33 degrees, the aircraft
will return to and maintain 33 degrees bank
angle.
The FD will de displayed again on the PFD
when the angle of bank reduces to less than 45
degrees.

Autotrim is inhibited above 33 degrees.

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BANK ANGLE PROTECTION

Note, if High speed or Angle of attack

protections are active, angle of bank is limited
to 45 degrees and the aircraft will return to
wings level if the side stick is released.

We will now study the reconfiguration laws

in the next module.

Module
completed

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 LIST
LIST OF
OF SUBJECTS

PRINCIPLES
NORMAL LAW
MANEUVER PROTECTION
PITCH ATTITUDE PROTECTION
HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK PROT.
HIGH SPEED PROTECTION
BANK ANGLE PROTECTION

AUDIO GLOSSARY FCOM

RETURN EXIT

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