page_title: Fly-by-wire
section_title: Fly-by-optics
hierarchical_section_title: Fly-by-wire / Further developments / Fly-by-optics
caption_attribution_description: English: Aircraft: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.（川崎重工業）XP-1 飛行試験1号機(S/N:5501) Squadron: JMSDF Fleet Air Wing 4 / 51SQ（海上自衛隊 第4航空群 第51航空隊） Base: Atsugi AB (RJTA), Kanagawa-ken, Japan 15/01/2013 JSDF Atsugi AB, Japan
context_page_description: Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control surface to provide the ordered response. It can use mechanical flight control backup systems or use fully fly-by-wire controls.
  Improved fully fly-by-wire systems interpret the pilot's control inputs as a desired outcome and calculate the control surface positions required to achieve that outcome; this results in various combinations of rudder, elevator, aileron, flaps and engine controls in different situations using a closed feedback loop. The pilot may not be fully aware of all the control outputs acting to effect the outcome, only that the aircraft is reacting as expected. The fly-by-wire computers act to stabilise the aircraft and adjust the flying characteristics without the pilot's involvement and to prevent the pilot operating outside of the aircraft's safe performance envelope.
context_section_description: Fly-by-optics is sometimes used instead of fly-by-wire because it offers a higher data transfer rate, immunity to electromagnetic interference and lighter weight. In most cases, the cables are just changed from electrical to optical fiber cables. Sometimes it is referred to as "fly-by-light" due to its use of fiber optics. The data generated by the software and interpreted by the controller remain the same. Fly-by-light has the effect of decreasing electro-magnetic disturbances to sensors in comparison to more common fly-by-wire control systems. The Kawasaki P-1 is the first production aircraft in the world to be equipped with such a flight control system.
caption: Kawasaki P-1
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