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No, they are not fly by wire. Are the hydraulics MONITORED by computers, yes, but not controlled by them (well, not as in FLY BY WIRE control, anyway).

almost every system on an aircraft is monitored, not necessarily by a computer. hydraulics are not monitored by a computer. they have pressure and temperature sensors, which send the information to a guage, either by mechanical means or electrically. monitoring is carried out by the pilot who watches the guage or readout. passing predetemined values on the guage sets off an alarm and flashing attention getters, along with a caption on the Centralised warning panel. even on a fly by wire aircraft, the hydraulics are NOT controlled by a computer. case in point. Panavia Tornado, i know this to be true as i work on these things every day.

The A10's slow-flight characteristics are possible because of it's main wing type which include a decent amount of dihedral.

slow flight charachteristics are due to low aspect ratio, high lift, large cambered wing. The Dihedral of the wing, is to give the aircraft a stable platform from which to launch, drop, or fire weapons. dihedral angled wings give the aircraft dynamic stability, so forces which make the aircraft roll are overcome and bring the aicraft back to straight an level. eg a gust of wind may roll the aircraft, but the dihedral wing will return the aircraft to straight and level. also helps to prevent side slip when the aircraft is banking



[Edited on 4-1-2004 by Knowsstuff]

This statement troubles me. Yes there are basic prinicples, but one can not be this general with respect to complex machinery. I "knowsstuff" about computers, but I don't proclaim to know anything about Crays. But hey, they all work on the same principles, right? At least you know stuff about how a control surface is actuated by a hydraulic system.

mechanically speeking there is nothing complex about a control run. the basic components are cables, pulley wheels, chains, Push-pull rods, bell cranks etc. but when you look at one control run, its very simply. in fact as far as im concerned, theres nothing complicated about an aeroplane mechanically. basic systems are all the same. the complexities come from the coupling of other technologies and how they all interact. but thats someone elses responsibility, i am responsible for the mechanics only. there are many aircraft in the world i have not worked on, but i bet i could. a bolt is a bolt and a control rod is a control rod. all i would lack is the aircraft specific systems knowlage and troubleshooting ability, but that doesnt mean i couldnt work out how to fix the plane as long as i remembered the basics. since moving from the VC10 to the Tornado, i havent been on any courses to teach me about the tornado. i was expected to just get on with it. i dont really know the ins and outs of the aircraft, but i know how to do my job and i can get on with it.