Originally, flight control systems were mechanical in nature. The movements of the controls had a direct effect on the movement of the plane. Pilots could then feel the effects directly through the controls. This is the most basic system of flight control, employed on the earliest planes.

However, mechanical flight control posed certain problems. It can result in potential emergencies such as pilot-induced oscillation, spinning, stalling, and limited ability to compensate for changing aerodynamic conditions. In the interest of eliminating these issues and increasing safety, manual controls went through an entire evolution that included hydraulics and combined hydro-mechanical systems.

The fly-by-wire system converts flight control movements to electronic signals that are transmitted through a computer to actuators at the control surfaces of the plane via wire. Development of the technology in the United States happened slowly, primarily as part of the space program, as a way to make aircraft lighter and planes safer. Not only has it become standard since then, it has spawned a number of even more advanced developments:

• Fly-by-wireless
• Power-by-wire
• Fly-by-optics
• Intelligent flight control system

Traditional flight involves a display of analog gauges and dials. These inform the pilot of crucial flight data regarding height, speed, pressure control, flow rates, etc. These can be difficult for a pilot to focus on at a glance to gain the most pertinent information. In the 1960s and 1970s, the military started developing so-called glass cockpits that use air data computers in place of traditional gyroscopic flight instruments and a multi-function display driven by a flight management system.

Sometimes called a multifunction electronic display subsystem, a MFD is easier for a computer-literate generation of pilots to understand. It allows pilots to use an LCD screen to call up flight information as desired, allowing them to focus more easily on the data that is most relevant at any given moment.

A collision between two aircraft in midair can be devastating in terms of potential deaths, injuries, and property damage. Pilots rely on directions from air traffic control to avoid collisions, but because prevention is so crucial, aircraft are also equipped with independent airborne collision avoidance systems. These ACAS systems work by initiating a maneuver to reduce the possibility of a collision when a risk is detected. Because there are many different types of aircraft, there are many different types of ACAS systems. They are expected to meet standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the International Civil Aviation Organization.

While ACAS serves to alert an airplane when another craft is in its immediate vicinity, an airborne separation assurance system works long range to maintain standard separation between different crafts while they are en route. Originally, ASAS was considered a part of ACAS, but increasingly, a distinction is being made between the two.

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