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Aircraft flight control system
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<p>A conventional <a href="/facts/Fixed-wing_aircraft/0DQQP2rB">fixed-wing</a> aircraft flight control system (AFCS) consists of <a href="/facts/Flight_control_surfaces/wux1lX6A">flight control surfaces</a>, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight. <a href="/facts/Aircraft_engine_controls/C7vEm3Bk">Aircraft engine controls</a> are also considered flight controls as they change speed. </p><p>The fundamentals of aircraft controls are explained in <a href="/facts/Flight_dynamics_(fixed-wing_aircraft)/XfrDf3hp">flight dynamics</a>. This article centers on the operating mechanisms of the flight controls. The basic system in use on aircraft first appeared in a readily recognizable form as early as April 1908, on <a href="/facts/Louis_Bl%25C3%25A9riot/b2UmNl09">Louis Blériot</a>'s <a href="/facts/Bl%25C3%25A9riot_VIII/vVrWL4Rd">Blériot VIII</a> pioneer-era monoplane design. </p>