@John_Pritchett and @discolando Disclaimer: Most of the information presented here is taken from The Boeing Company’s Gregg F. Bartley and the numerous renditions of his brief on the Fly-by-wire system utilized in the Boeing 777 while at the same time being applied to Star Citizen. This is provided for information purposes based on conversations with actual test pilots familiar with Fly-By-Wire systems. Introduction: For Star Citizen, Fly-By-Wire (FBW) is the only option in Primary Flight Control because there is a lack of a physical craft to include the use of mechanical linkages, cables and hydraulic actuators. The added benefits of FBW to which Star Citizen requires include: 1. superior craft handling 2. multiple systems can be integrated into a single system 3. greater flexibility to include new functions or changes after initial design. System Overview: In simple terms all craft movement within Star Citizen are controlled by the FBW system. As a result of this it is possible for the designers to utilize: 1. Full-time surface control through control laws. Basically, a more complex system is possible in the construction of a ship and smaller control apparatus are required to achieve amazing feats of maneuverability. 2. The system can retain desired characteristics while at the same time removing undesirable traits. For example, preventing a swept wing craft to raise a wing in a side strafe therefore creating increased lift in that wing compared to the other and inadvertently flipping the craft on its back while in atmosphere. 3. Integration of functions and systems as they are developed. As the staff at Cloud Imperium Games continue to learn how to build a ship this one fact will become more and more important. Design Philosophy: The programmer responsible for the control system, John Pritchett, has announced in the past that the system is largely a PID controller system. Coincidently, the use of “Fault Tolerance” is also used in the Boeing 777 FBW. The 777 FBW design philosophy also strives to maintain a system operation consistent with the experience of the pilots therefore it seems reasonable to argue that Star Citizen should also advance to similar innovations in control law and system functionality especially since the pilot community has been gaining experience with a PID controller system for more than a year now. However, a PID controller is a notoriously difficult system to use and the current control system within Star Citizen can be compared only to the secondary or tertiary control modes in the Boeing system. The complete Control Law within most, if not all, FBW commercial craft today are derivatives of C* (pronounced C Star). Control Law: While the various derivatives of C* are proprietary, the basic variables and their relations are available for public research. Through online research the variables can be concluded to be a blend of incremental normal acceleration (assigned the equation symbol Na) and pitch rate (assigned the equation symbol q but includes degrees per second, true airspeed and gravitational acceleration): C= Na + K1q or: Na + K1(qg57.3/V) The variable K1 is a constant value that determines the transparent (or unnoticed) transition point at which pitch rate and normal acceleration contribute equally to the C* equation: the cross-over speed. In an Airbus this cross-over speed is about 210 knots but Boeing modifies the above formula with a computed error adjustment to the speed. I have been told this architecture allows for the automated inclusion of variable similar to PRE/SCM/CRU modes into a transparent and uninterrupted system which cuts down the clutter of Primary Flight Displays and Heads Up Displays and also provides a dynamic alternative to Enhanced Stick Precision and Comstab. Summary: The programmers at Cloud Imperium Games have done a remarkable job at creating an actual control system. What is special is the fact that their efforts have mimicked the actual development of Fly-By-Wire control systems in the real world. At present, they have achieved parity with what was available somewhere between the research that had begun during the lunar landing missions and the application of FBW in military aircraft by the early 1980’s. The standard presented here is the standard achieved by 1992 and is conducive to future integration of new or improved developments. As a backer, I consider it a privilege to provide this information and apologize for my poor ability to present it in this format.