Think of the stick shaker/pusher found in transport-category aircraft as a bit of a lazy pilot’s angle of attack indicator. Should the flying pilot become distracted enough that they fail to notice an increasing angle of attack, to a point where the wing is about to cease producing sufficient lift, an airplane equipped with a shaker/pusher system will jump in to try to save the day by reducing the angle of attack. More precisely, the stick shaker acts as a stall-warning device, while the stick pusher’s job is one of stall avoidance.
How it Works: Stick Shaker/Pusher
Key Takeaways:
- The stick shaker/pusher system in transport-category aircraft serves as an automatic stall warning and avoidance mechanism, designed to reduce the angle of attack (AOA) when a stall is imminent.
- The "shaker" portion alerts the pilot to an increasing AOA by rapidly vibrating the control wheel, triggered by signals from external vanes.
- If the shaker warning is ignored, the "pusher" takes over, either mechanically or by integrating with the autopilot system, to physically force the control wheel forward and lower the aircraft's nose.
- Activation of the system, particularly the pusher, is forceful and unmistakable, with pilots typically experiencing its function in full-motion simulators or during pre-flight ground tests.
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