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A319 Ailerons Drooping

Cancidas From Poland, joined Jul 2003, 4112 posts, RR: 27
Posted (5 years 3 months 1 week 5 hours ago) and read 509 times:

today i noticed that on one of our A319s both ailerons were drooping down. how can that be with fly-by-wire controls?

"...cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home."

8 replies: All unread, jump to last

NKP S2 From United States, joined Dec 1999, 1714 posts, RR: 7
Reply 1, posted (5 years 3 months 1 week 3 hours ago) and read 481 times:

Easy: No hyd pressure plus the weight of the aileron Equals droop. "Fly by wire" only means control by wire ( electrically ) via computers. Hydraulics still do the "heavy lifting".

Mr.BA From Singapore, joined Sep 2000, 3423 posts, RR: 29
Reply 2, posted (5 years 3 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 447 times:

Noticed that Airbuses' flight controls droop pretty easily... I mean almost all kinds of their planes have the ailerons droop or 'drop' when the hydraulics are turned off but I don't seem to notice the same trend on many Boeings. Especially for the B744s, which the control surfaces are supposedly heavier but they don't seem to droop, not even the high speed ailerons... same goes for the B767.. or so. But the B777s do have the control surfaces droop pretty easily. Is this due to the different systems that power the controls? Seem to notice that FBW can droop easier...

Any explanation?

When I read this all over it sounds so odd Big grin

Boeing747 万岁!

Francoflier From France, joined Oct 2001, 1953 posts, RR: 10
Reply 3, posted (5 years 3 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 444 times:

Not really right on topic, but I have also noticed that some a/c, especially the A32x family, have their rudders blown by the wind to either side.

Don't those a/c have some kind of gust lock device?

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit posting...

Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 13599 posts, RR: 68
Reply 4, posted (5 years 3 months 1 week ago) and read 437 times:

The construction of the actual hinge and mechanism probably differs slightly from plane to plane, which would explain the differences in behavior. I don't know exactly how they are built, but a simple counterweight in the mechanism would eliminate drooping, for example.

Tact Is For People Who Aren't Witty Enough To Be Sarcastic

Ual747 From United States, joined Dec 1999, 6542 posts, RR: 35
Reply 5, posted (5 years 3 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 426 times:

"Not really right on topic, but I have also noticed that some a/c, especially the A32x family, have their rudders blown by the wind to either side."

If you go to DFW terminal A, when there is the usual strong breeze from the south, all of AA's 777's will have their rudders looking like they are making a hard turn to the right.

UAL747

Iankay From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2004, 1 posts, RR: 0
Reply 6, posted (5 years 3 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 420 times:

If on takeoff/landing, the Airbus FBW software is programmed to droop the ailerons when full flap is selected.

320tech From Turks And Caicos Islands, joined May 2004, 464 posts, RR: 6
Reply 7, posted (5 years 3 months 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 403 times:

What's with all the drooping aileron questions lately? Smile

A320 series ailerons and elevators droop because pressure is not retained in the servos when hydraulics are off. There is nothing special about fly by wire that would cause it, other than the lack of cables.

Rudders on all large aircraft will displace in a strong wind. Large aircraft don't have gust locks on the rudder (not even the Dash-8), they have dampers, that protect the rudder from being slammed over.

Incidently, the newest A320 series ailerons don't droop. Not sure what's different about them, I'll see what I can find out.

The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the manufacturer and impossible for the AME.