A-6 reorganizes to meet technology advances in flight controls

A-6 Aerospace Actuation, Control and Fluid Power Systems, which had its first meeting prior to World War II, has continually modified its charter to accommodate the demands for enhanced technology in powered flight controls. The first committee was chartered as Aircraft Standardization in 1941. In 1950, it focused on the emerging need for more complex controls and pneumatics and became Aircraft Hydraulic and Pneumatic Equipment. Then in 1958, missile systems came of age and ground-support equipment was added, changing the committee name to Aircraft and Missile Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems and Equipment. The scope was expanded in 1961 to include all aspects of powered flight controls and the new charter was Aerospace Fluid Power Systems and Equipment. In 1964, the trend to higher pressures and advanced control studies prompted a change to Aerospace Fluid Power & Control Technologies. 1988 saw a change made to include what was considered to encompass new types of mechanical flight controls and the committee became Aerospace Fluid Power, Actuation and Control Technologies. Then came the electrohydrostatic actuators (EHAs) and integrated actuator packages (IAPs), which introduced the need to integrate electric control and hydraulic power. Today's trend toward UAVs and UCAVs puts the focus on low-cost, smaller electromechanical systems.

The A-6 Committee recognized these needs and at the Spring 2003 Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, USA, adopted a new charter and become Aerospace Actuation, Control, & Fluid Power Systems. New technology environments will include: more complex mixed-power distribution; hybridized hydraulic and electric actuation; and focus on EHA/IAP/EMA integrated actuation and control focus on unmanned vehicles.

The new organization will now include three Subcommittees: A-6A, Systems/Subsystems Integration; A-6B, Actuation and Control; and A-6C, Power Generation and Distribution.

For further information regarding the work of A-6, visit the committee's online Public Forum at http://forums.sae.org/access/dispatch.cgi/TEAA6_pf. If you have additional questions or would like information on how to participate on this committee, contact Donna Lutz, SAE, at donnal@sae.org

Article submitted by Bruce Fuhrman.