Final answer:
In Normal Law flight mode for Airbus aircraft, the side stick is used to command pitch and roll attitudes, with the fly-by-wire system ensuring that aircraft maintains safe flight parameters and relieves the pilot from manual trim adjustments.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Normal Law flight mode on Airbus aircraft, the side stick commands are interpreted by the aircraft's fly-by-wire system to control pitch and roll attitude. When a pilot moves the side stick, rather than directly manipulating the control surfaces, they are actually sending electronic signals to the flight control computer. The fly-by-wire system then processes these signals and moves the control surfaces to achieve the desired aircraft attitude in a way that maintains safe flight parameters.
Understanding Normal Law Flight Mode
Normal Law, which is a part of Airbus's sophisticated flight envelope safety system, has several key characteristics:
- When the side stick is deflected and then released, the aircraft will maintain the current attitude, making hands-off flight possible.
- There is inherent protection against stalling the aircraft or over-speeding.
- The system provides automatic pitch trim, relieving the pilot from the need to adjust the trim manually during normal flight operations.
For pitch control, moving the side stick forward or backward will command the aircraft to pitch down or up, respectively, adjusting the aircraft's nose position relative to the horizon. For roll control, moving the side stick to the left or to the right commands the aircraft to bank in that direction. The amount of deflection of the side stick corresponds to a commanded rate of roll or pitch rather than a direct control surface position. This is designed to ensure a smooth and stable aircraft response.