Engine software

[zack1234]

So A400ms engines are controlled by software?

One crashed in spain because important files were deleted.

Are commercial planes engines controlled by software?

[artik]

So A400ms engines are controlled by software?

One crashed in spain because important files were deleted.

Are commercial planes engines controlled by software?

Virtually every modern engine is controlled by a software (FADEC) and also all of latest airliners flight controls controlled by a software (Fly By Wire).

And it already happens for a loooooooong time.

[PR3D4TOR]

If you have a car that's newer than 25 years old its engine is also "controlled by software."

[MrRiplEy[H]]

If you have a car that's newer than 25 years old its engine is also "controlled by software."

Car engines usually have fail safe defaults if sensors give illogical information. I wonder why thats not the same with airplane engines. Probably a bit more complex operating environment.

[jeep00]

My guess is the failsafes on something that if stalled can plummet 30000 feet are somewhat more sophisticated than something that can sputter to the side of the road

[Busher]

Virtually every modern engine is controlled by a software (FADEC) and also all of latest airliners flight controls controlled by a software (Fly By Wire).

And it already happens for a loooooooong time.

Yes you are right but as you also probably already know, if the digital engine control fails, the fuel delivery reverts to a mechanical schedule.

[Serenity]

Car engines usually have fail safe defaults if sensors give illogical information. I wonder why thats not the same with airplane engines. Probably a bit more complex operating environment.

Properly installed equipment and software DOES have failsafes for bad (read: illogical) input.

[DaveBB]

My truck has never crashed because of bad software inputs.  However, at least TWO Airbus aircraft have.

[pipz]

Shut up!

[guncrasher]

My truck has never crashed because of bad software inputs.  However, at least TWO Airbus aircraft have.

were you around when the japanese brake software was accentuating and crashing cars?

semp

[artik]

Car engines usually have fail safe defaults if sensors give illogical information. I wonder why thats not the same with airplane engines. Probably a bit more complex operating environment.

Aircraft engines usually have double to triple redundancy of the computers... But if software is wrong on all 2 or 3 of them. There is no way to help.

Now about mechanical failsafe - the problem is that jet engine fuel control unit is very complex stuff - it has many inputs that very the amount of fuel to put put into the engine: altitude, airspeed, pressure, temperature, rpm and their sudden changes and more...

Once there were hydro-mechanical computers that did the job and flameouts were much more frequent. Today digital system allow to run the engine in much more hard conditions - the conditions that older fuel control systems would fail.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Aircraft engines usually have double to triple redundancy of the computers... But if software is wrong on all 2 or 3 of them. There is no way to help.

Now about mechanical failsafe - the problem is that jet engine fuel control unit is very complex stuff - it has many inputs that very the amount of fuel to put put into the engine: altitude, airspeed, pressure, temperature, rpm and their sudden changes and more...

Once there were hydro-mechanical computers that did the job and flameouts were much more frequent. Today digital system allow to run the engine in much more hard conditions - the conditions that older fuel control systems would fail.

Yeah thats what I thought. It's much easier to revert to defaults when you know you're going to be somewhere about sea level. But even then my car sputtered and jumped when cold when I had a broken MAF. Once it warmed up you hardly noticed the MAF was missing.