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1. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of input controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, each control pa...
1. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of input controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, each control path including: (i) at least one servo loop assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said servo loop controlling the movement of at least one predetermined flight control surface such that the at least one servo loop in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;(ii) at least one flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said at least one servo loop; and(b) a plurality of flight control computers coupled to the at least one flight control surface controller of each control path, which flight control computers each generate flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms in part as a function of the signals. 2. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 1, wherein the flight control surface controller is an actuator control module that controls such a subset of flight control surfaces to adjust the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch and/or yaw axes. 3. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 2, wherein the control path includes a plurality of flight control surface controllers which each are actuator control modules, each module comprising at least two submodules . 4. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 3, wherein one of said actuator control modules is capable of controlling a subset of flight control surfaces sufficient to comprehensively control the aircraft by adjusting the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch and yaw axes. 5. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 3, wherein each said actuator control module is capable of controlling a subset of flight control surfaces sufficient to adjust the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch or yaw axes, and the flight control surface controllers further include at least one servo motor control unit which controls such a subset of flight control surfaces to control the horizontal stabilizer trim, such that comprehensive control of the aircraft is achieved by the actuator control module in combination with the servo motor control unit. 6. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 2, wherein said actuator control module is capable of controlling a subset of flight control surfaces sufficient to comprehensively control the aircraft in all axes. 7. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 6, wherein the flight control surface controller further includes at least one servo motor control unit which controls horizontal stabilizer trim, such that comprehensive control of the aircraft is achieved by the actuator control module in the combination with the servo motor control unit. 8. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 3, wherein the hardware of the one of the two actuator submodules is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the other one of the two actuator submodules. 9. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 3, wherein only one of said plurality of actuator control modules is capable of controlling a subset of flight control surfaces sufficient to comprehensively control the aircraft in all axes. 10. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 1, wherein the flight control surface controller is a servo motor control unit which controls the horizontal stabilizer trim. 11. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 1, wherein, in the event that said active primary flight control computer is determined invalid, another of said plurality of flight control computers becomes the active primary flight control computer. 12. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 11, wherein said active primary flight control computer is determined invalid via self test. 13. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 1, wherein when every one of said plurality of flight control computers is not engaged said actuator control modules are commanded according to predetermined flight control algorithms for direct mode operation in response to signals. 14. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 1, wherein the control path includes a plurality of servo motor control units. 15. The multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system according to claim 14, wherein the hardware of each of the plurality of servo motor control units is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the others of the plurality of servo motor control units. 16. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of cockpit controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, (i) at least one of said plurality of control paths including: 1. a first set of servo loops assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said first set of servo loops controlling the movement of a plurality of predetermined flight control surfaces such that the first set of servo loops in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;2. a first flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said first set of servo loops, said first flight control surface controller comprising at least one actuator control module, said module comprising at least two (2) submodules and controlling such a subset of flight control surfaces to adjust the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch and/or yaw axes,(ii) at least another of said plurality of control paths including: 1. a second set of servo loops assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said second set of servo loops controlling the movement of a plurality of predetermined flight control surfaces such that the second set of servo loops in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;2. a second flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said second set of servo loops, said second flight control surface controllers comprising at least one servo motor control unit which controls such a subset of flight control surfaces to control the horizontal stabilizer trim, such that comprehensive control of the aircraft is achieved by the actuator control module in combination with the servo motor control unit and(b) a plurality of flight control computers coupled to the plurality of flight control surface controller of each control path, which flight control computers each generate flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms in part as a function of the signals, only one of said plurality of flight control computers is an active primary flight control computer at any given time, the remaining computers of said plurality running in standby,wherein the hardware of the one of the two actuator submodules is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the other one of the two actuator submodules and the hardware of the each of the plurality of servo motor control units is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the others of the plurality of servo motor control units and to the hardware of each of the actuator modules, andwherein, in the event that said active primary flight control computer is determined invalid via self test, another of said plurality of flight control computers becomes the active primary flight control computer, and when every one of said plurality of flight control computers is not engaged said flight control surface controllers are commanded according to predetermined flight control algorithms for direct mode operation in response to signals. 17. A method of individually controlling the position of a set of flight control surfaces on an aircraft through a single flight control channel that comprises a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, said method comprising: (a) providing signals indicative of a command from at least one of a plurality of cockpit controls to each of a plurality of flight control computers in said single flight control channel via at least one flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals, which flight control computers are each capable of generating flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms as a function of the signals;(b) designating only one flight control computer of said plurality of flight computers as a primary flight computer for said single flight control channel, with the others of said plurality running in a standby mode;(c) transmitting said flight surface commands from the primary flight control computer along at least one of said control paths to at least one flight control surface controller that is coupled to at least one servo loop assigned to said flight control path; and(d) controlling the movement of at least one flight control surface via said flight control surface controller coupled to said at least one servo loop; such that the at least one servo loop in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein only the flight surface commands from the primary flight control computer are transmitted to the flight control surface controller. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the flight control surface controller receives only the flight surface commands transmitted by the primary flight control computer. 20. A method of controlling the position of a plurality of flight control surfaces on an aircraft comprising: (a) providing signals indicative of a commanded position;(b) transmitting the control signals to a plurality of flight control computers, which are each capable of generating flight surface commands as a function of the signals;(c) selecting one flight control computer of said plurality of flight computers as a primary flight computer, with the others of said plurality remaining in a standby mode;(d) transmitting, in a single channel having a multiplicity of control paths, said flight surface commands from the primary flight control computer to a flight control surface controller in each of said multiplicity of control paths with each control path controlling a different subset of flight control surfaces; and(e) applying the flight surface commands via said flight control surface controller to a plurality of servo loops to control a corresponding set of flight control surfaces on the aircraft. 21. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of input controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, each control path including: (i) at least one servo loop assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said servo loop controlling the movement of at least one predetermined flight control surface such that the at least one servo loop in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;(ii) a plurality of flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said at least one servo loop; and(b) a plurality of flight control computers coupled to the at least one flight control surface controller of each control path, which flight control computers each generate flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms in part as a function of the signals, only one of said plurality of flight control computers is an active primary flight control computer at any given time, the remaining computers of said plurality running in standby,wherein the plurality of flight control surface controllers are each actuator control modules, each module comprising at least two submodules, and wherein the each of the plurality of flight control surface controllers controls a subset of flight control surfaces to adjust the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch and/or yaw axes, and wherein the hardware of the one of the two actuator submodules is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the other one of the two actuator submodules. 22. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of input controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, each control path including: (i) at least one servo loop assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said servo loop controlling the movement of at least one predetermined flight control surface such that the at least one servo loop in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;(ii) at least one flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said at least one servo loop; and(b) a plurality of flight control computers coupled to the at least one flight control surface controller of each control path, which flight control computers each generate flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms in part as a function of the signals, only one of said plurality of flight control computers is an active primary flight control computer at any given time, the remaining computers of said plurality running in standby,wherein each control path includes a plurality of flight control surface controllers which each are actuator control modules, each module comprising at least two submodules, wherein the actuator control module controls such a subset of flight control surfaces to adjust the attitude of the aircraft in the roll, pitch and/or yaw axes, and wherein only one of said plurality of actuator control modules is capable of controlling a subset of flight control surfaces sufficient to comprehensively control the aircraft in all axes. 23. A multi-axis fly-by-wire flight control system that generates flight surface commands to control the movement of a set of flight control surfaces to control the pitch, roll or yaw directional axes of an aircraft, the system comprising: (A) a plurality of input controls each capable of generating a signal indicative of a commanded position of a corresponding control; and(B) a single flight control channel comprising: (a) a plurality of control paths that each include a plurality of servo motor control units, each control path controlling a different subset of the set of flight control surfaces, each control path including: (i) at least one servo loop assigned to said flight control path of the single flight control channel, said servo loop controlling the movement of at least one predetermined flight control surface such that the at least one servo loop in said control path operates to control the aircraft in at least one of the roll, pitch or yaw directional axes;(ii) at least one flight control surface controller configured to receive at least one of the signals and is coupled to said at least one servo loop; and(b) a plurality of flight control computers coupled to the at least one flight control surface controller of each control path, which flight control computers each generate flight surface commands according to predetermined flight control algorithms in part as a function of the signals, only one of said plurality of flight control computers is an active primary flight control computer at any given time, the remaining computers of said plurality running in standby; andwherein the hardware of each of the plurality of servo motor control units is at least partially dissimilar to the hardware of the others of the plurality of servo motor control units.
