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NASA Meatball NASA Dryden MD-11 Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) banner
MD-11 PCA - First Landing at Edwards MD-11 PCA - First Landing at Edwards

Photo Number: EC95-43247-2
Photo Date: 29 Aug 1995

Formats: 591x480 JPEG Image (87 KBytes)
1260x1024 JPEG Image (572 KBytes)

Description: This McDonnell Douglas MD-11 transport aircraft approaches its first landing under engine power only on Aug. 29, 1995, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.

The milestone flight, flown by NASA research pilot and former astronaut Gordon Fullerton, was part of a NASA project to develop a computer-assisted engine control system that enables a pilot to land a plane safely when its normal control surfaces are disabled. The Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft (PCA) system uses standard autopilot controls already present in the cockpit, together with the new programming in the aircraft's flight control computers.

The PCA concept is simple--for pitch control, the program increases thrust to climb and reduces thrust to descend. To turn right, the autopilot increases the left engine thrust while decreasing the right engine thrust. The initial Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft studies by NASA were carried out at Dryden with a modified twin-engine F-15 research aircraft.


Keywords: MD-11; PCA; Propulsion Controlled Aircraft; computer-assisted engine control; autopilot; disabled control surfaces; hydraulic


Last Modified: February 6, 2002
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