LAM Flight Control System Addresses Loss of Control in Flight

LAM Aviation in San Francisco this week announced a new wing flight control system aimed at providing a low-risk method for improving GA airplane performance, handling and overall operational safety.

The LAM system replaces an airplane’s traditionally separate aileron and flaps, allowing a new, potentially smaller wing to combine these controls in a variety of operations. In one, a new full-span flap can help overcome adverse yaw; in another, the split ailerons acting together could function as a speed brake.

In a news release, LAM said its “system prevents inadvertent departure from controlled flight, tolerates aggravated control inputs, is highly non-spinnable and anti-autorotative in a spin.” The company is currently researching if specific flap/aileron configurations might also prove useful during spin recovery, including the use of its own anti-torque system.

“If the LAM electro-mechanical system were to fail,” the company said, “the aircraft’s independent mechanical system would by itself provide control.”

LAM engineers believe the newest version of the company’s control systems will also reduce fuel consumption, increase useful load and improve cruise performance. A company YouTube video highlights the design and the new products just ahead of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where LAM will display a Columbia 300 modified with the new flight control system.