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Old 01-10-2008, 03:16 PM   #55
Bill Bumface
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken0042 View Post
I saw that too. Also a fan of "Mayday" so I have to ask.... how do you take manual control of a plane controlled entirely by the computer? Meaning there are no mechanical means to tell the flaps to move, the pilot moves the stick and the computer send the command.

Or am I out to lunch on what the whole "fly by wire" thing really means?
I know old 737's were still mechanical controls, not sure if that still holds true. Airbuses are fly by wire as you described it.

Dumb question here... but why does the plane fall so much faster than people when you hit an air pocket? Or does some property of the air actually pull the plane down faster than gravity? It seems to me that if the plane is just falling you should get light on your seat but not leave it.
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