Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft (PCA) > Photo # EC94-42805-1 |
A simple sketch on a TWA napkin by NASA Dryden engineer Frank W. "Bill" Burcham led to development and validation of the Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft concept. |
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Photo Number: | EC94-42805-1 |
Photo Date: | October 11, 1994 |
Formats: |
640x621 JPEG Image (251 KBytes) 1280x1242 JPEG Image (865 KBytes) 3000x2910 JPEG Image (4819 KBytes) |
Photo Description: |
A simple sketch on a TWA napkin by NASA Dryden engineer Frank W. "Bill" Burcham led to development and validation of the Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft concept. |
Project Description: |
In landings at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, on August 29 and 30, the MD-11 Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft (PCA) demonstrated software used in the aircraft's flight control computer that essentially landed the MD-11 without a need for the pilot to manipulate the flight controls significantly. In partnership with McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA), with Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell helping to design the software, NASA developed this propulsion-controlled aircraft (PCA) system following a series of incidents in which hydraulic failures resulted in the loss of flight controls. This new system enables a pilot to operate and land the aircraft safely when its normal, hydraulically-activated control surfaces are disabled. |
NASA Photo by: | Dennis Taylor |
Keywords: | PCA, Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft, napkin, NASA Dryden engineer Frank W. "Bill" Burcham, MD-11 |
Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft (PCA) > Photo # EC94-42805-1 |
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