dear friends and Followers welcome back to my channel and greetings from the Airbus A320 simulator at the
TFC flight Training Centre here in Essen, Germany
Today's video will all be about the Airbus sidestick, so let's get started
First and most importantly don't ever call it a joystick it is a flight
control stick at the side of each pilot so a side stick the two side sticks allow the
Pilots to control the aircraft manually both in pitch and roll. They are not linked mechanically, but simultaneously
Inputs by the Captain and the first officer are summed up;
not many people actually know that. The sum is limited by the maximum deflection by a
Single side stick and dual inputs will cause both green side stick
Priority lights to flash up and a continuous oral warning "DUAL INPUT"
will sound. It is very important for both pilots to be clear about who has control of the aircraft because
There is no direct Feedback or artificial field system like in your playstation
Joystick or similar sort. Except for a simple spring centering device which will neutralize
The side stick when it is released. On ground after the first engine is running the side stick position
Indicators come into view on the PFD
the White Corner indicates the limit of side stick travel while the white cross
Indicates the actual side stick; this is pretty useful for checking full side stick movement before takeoff
But it doesn't indicate the actual control
Surface position therefore you would have have to go to the Ecam flight control page to check for the surface position of the given input
The side stick has two switches: a dual function autopilot
Disconnection switch, which can also be used as a priority take-over push-button
and it is laid out that your thumb rests comfortably on it. At the forward part of the side stick as a
Communications push-to-talk switch to be used with your index finger. Whenever you engage the autopilot a solenoid operated
detent locks the side stick in a neutral position
which can be heard and felt by a distinctive click if
Necessary the detent can be overridden with sufficient pressure to unlock the side stick which will also
Disconnect the autopilot. I wouldn't recommend that because you would immediately
Get the plane into an excessive roll or pitch rate. The normal method is to disconnect the autopilot
By pressing the autopilot disconnect push button and then you will get a confirmation that the autopilot is
disconnected by a triple cavalry sound. A pilot can take full control and
deactivate the other side stick by pressing and holding his priority take over push button. If
It's held for at least 40 seconds the other side stick is then the active
And each time a side stick priority is taken an audio message
""PRIORITY RIGHT/PRIORITY LEFT"
is heard. In addition
The side stick priority light on the glare shield comes active a red arrow in front of the pilot
Indicates that his side stick has now been deactivated
and the other pilot is in control. Now you might ask "why is there such a function in the first place?"
Primarily if one of the side sticks has a failure like not returning back into its neutral position
keeping the plane in a constant roll or pitch attitude and
therefore a green light either captain or first officer is displayed in front of the pilot who has
control. I hope you enjoyed this basic introduction video of the Airbus sidestick and make sure to watch the upcoming videos on the
A320 system Knowledge
Thanks a lot for the support by TFC providing me with this amazing flight simulator
Make sure to check out their website for more details about their flight school programs and see you later next week. All the best,
your Captain Joe! :)