FADEC

Under a FADEC a fully digital engine control is understood in aviation in general. The abbreviation comes from the English and stands for Full Authority Digital Engine Control. By this is meant that this system has full control of the engine and other components such as the turbine vane, fuel metering or case cooling controls. The communication between the aircraft and engine takes place in civil aviation through a standardized serial protocol, ARINC 429 ARINC 429 This protocol is also used to communicate other components in the plane, and is therefore not limited to the engine.

Main control variable for the engine thrust, the EPR ( Engine Pressure Ratio), be the pressure ratio of the ejected from the turbine sucked in by the compressor to the air or the corrected to ambient conditions Fandrehzahl. However, there are many different control loops, which adapt to the necessary application of the engine. So another loop is required during the starting process than when the engine is running stable at idle speed and then monitored as a control parameter such as the high-pressure compressor discharge pressure or the physical high-pressure compressor speed.

The development of this controller and the initial reservations about this technique meant that the controller is designed with full redundancy. All cable connections to the actuators at the engine are 2 channels driven and polled. It was the development of digital controller made ​​it possible to realize the fuel savings required by the airlines.

Another positive side effect is the extremely improved control over the condition of an engine. The data is centrally captured and stored or already submitted during flight operations at the maintenance base ( telemetry ) and necessary repairs are reduced to a minimum time.

The development of this technique was a contribution to the two - person cockpit, a former flight engineer required for monitoring and control of various subsystems of an aircraft was replaced by computer technology.

Leading manufacturers such Reglungen are in civil aviation companies Hamilton Sundstrand for Pratt & Whitney and IAE. For the engines from General Electric and CFM International, the components of BAE Systems are used. In Germany develops and manufactures MTU Aero Engines, the regulation of the Euro Fighter.