: of, relating to, being, or utilizing a flight-control system in which controls are operated electrically rather than mechanically

Examples of fly-by-wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fly-by-light control systems are very much like fly-by-wire. New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2024 The fly-by-wire aircraft was designed to be operated by a single joystick, with intuitive maneuvers that have been proven through nine years of testing and 7,000 flight hours. Julie Boatman, Robb Report, 22 July 2024 Take the fly-by-wire hardware that first appeared on General Dynamics’ F-16 fighter. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024 These more or less three-inch shards peeled off titanium threads when workers installed the titanium bolts that secured the floor in these fly-by-wire planes. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Just as fly-by-wire systems have their risks, so does AI if deployed without oversight. Mehdi Daoudi, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The pilots steer using a joystick and fly-by-wire system that automatically integrates with sensor feedback data to control all the motors. Harry Guinness, Popular Science, 9 Nov. 2023 The design was meant to reduce drag, though the whole thing was so unstable that the plane required a fly-by-wire computer system to keep the thing in the air. Jessica Coulon, Popular Mechanics, 1 June 2023 However, the Soviets brought technical flourishes to the concept, including a computerized fly-by-wire flight controls system and both ground-scanning navigation and weather radars. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 22 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fly-by-wire was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near fly-by-wire

Cite this Entry

“Fly-by-wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fly-by-wire. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

fly-by-wire

adjective
: controlled by electrical signals rather than mechanically

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