MIT OpenCourseWare
2 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2021–2022
1:06:49 · 6.8M views · Jan 15, 2021
A special lecture from MIT's Private Pilot Ground School in which Lt. Col. Randy Gordon, a fighter and test pilot, describes F-22 flight controls. Topics include thrust vectoring, the pilot command system and how software handles failures.
Recommended as a fascinating insider account of how the F-22's software makes it easier to fly than a Cessna.
3 comments from Hacker News
Slightly related, but there's a great hour-long lecture [1] by Colonel Randy Gordon, who's a test pilot, discussing the flight control systems for the F-22, contrasting it (a bit) to other jets, and even to a Cessna. He talks about the tradeoffs between human factors, mechanical engineering, software engineering, and shows how the software systems help the pilot. It's well worth the hour if you're an aviation geek. [1] this video
I recently learned that this is an issue that bomber pilots / airplanes must deal with, when they deploy their payloads. Here is a video of a test pilot giving a talk at MIT on the F-22 and its advanced flying capabilities which --as he puts it-- makes flying an F-22 actually easier than a Cessna. this video Apologies in advance for you losing an hour -- the talk is that good!
Interestingly, the F-22 appears to handle stuff like engine failures for you[1]. Perhaps it's inertia of regulations and training. Radically automating airplanes involves training loads of people. There's also certification, which is different for military aircraft than for civilian aircraft. [1] this video