Hi everyone, This is my “soft” introduction. This is me presenting in a team training today. I am passionate about engineering and my health. I will continue sharing engineering stories and things that I learn on a daily basis that I find interesting!

What are some of your buys for black friday? I am getting my first RO water filter, hopefully the start a more “low” tox life.

Can anyone recommend a watch in the $300 range? I was thinking of the Garmin Forerunner 265 but am unsure about their subscription model. What other good options are available?

A cool thread I made on fly by wire

What do you think is your biggest strength as an engineer? I think I am particularly good at troubleshooting once I understand a system. For example I can easily recreate issues in simulation scenarios and determine a path forward

What are the best resources to become an expert using codex? @OpenAI

That is the story of why Fly by Wire became the standard across aviation. If you have ideas for other systems that shifted from manual control to digital logic, reply with your favorite example. #EngineeringTales #EngineeringHistory #WhyItWorks

The lesson is that engineering evolves when scale and performance exceed human strength and reaction time. When mechanical solutions hit a ceiling, electronics and software provide the new layer needed for stability and precision.

Modern jets use fault tolerant networks, sensors that cross check each other, and actuators with backup power. This architecture makes the system not only more capable but also safer than heavy mechanical paths.

Today Fly by Wire allows smoother control, higher efficiency, and lighter structures. Designers can optimize wings and tail surfaces without needing huge mechanical margins because the computer maintains control authority.

Airbus took the concept mainstream with the A320. It used side stick controls, digital computers, and flight envelope protections. The aircraft enforced safe limits while still allowing pilots to manage energy and trajectory.

The turning point for civil aviation arrived when systems became redundant. Triple and even quadruple computers compared outputs and voted on the correct command. This addressed concerns about electronics failing in flight.

Designs like the F 16 took advantage of this. The pilot controls became requests instead of direct movements. The computer maintained stability by making hundreds of tiny corrections per second, something no human could do manually.

The twist came as aircraft designs moved into regions that were unstable on purpose. A naturally unstable airframe offers better agility and efficiency, but it is unflyable by humans alone. Only fast digital control can keep it in balance.

To make this practical, engineers needed reliable sensors. Angle of attack vanes, airspeed sensors, gyros, accelerometers, and pressure systems all fed precise data into the computer. Without accurate sensing the system could not be trusted.

This allowed a new layer of intelligence. The computer could blend pilot inputs with air data, attitude, and structural limits. This protected the aircraft from stalls, excessive angles, and loads that could cause structural damage.

Enter the idea of Fly by Wire. Instead of relying on a cable that pulls a surface, the pilot would move a control that sends an electrical signal to a computer. The computer would command actuators that move the control surfaces.

Engineers tried boost systems and hydraulic actuators to assist pilots. These helpers reduced pilot workload, but they added weight, complexity, and more failure modes. It became clear that mechanical paths could no longer scale.

The problem began when aircraft reached speeds where aerodynamic forces became extreme. At high speed a pilot could barely move the stick because the control surfaces pushed back with huge loads. Mechanical power was not enough.

Picture a 1940s cockpit filled with pulleys, steel cables, and long mechanical runs. Every control input relied on muscles, leverage, and careful routing across the airframe. It worked, but it became harder as planes grew larger and faster.

Tale 12. Why Aircraft Use Fly by Wire. In the early days of flight, pilots pulled real cables to move real surfaces. Today the commands travel as electrical signals inside computers. The shift happened because the old system reached its limits. 🧵