It uses hydraulic power to move the surface, but there is no flight control software managing or modifying those signals. What the pilot does with the controls is what the aircraft responds to.

The two MAX jets were relatively new and the problem was traced back to faulty flight-control software. The Jeju plane was manufactured in 2009, and Jeju started flying it in 2017.

The post-grounding MAX 8 and MAX 9 already include updates to the flight control software and redundancy protocols. But Boeing is going further, working with Collins Aerospace to refine the ...

The flight control computer and actuators have lost considerable weight for the Compact Fly-By-Wire system, which Barker attributes to the use of smaller, less power-hungry electronics.

Whether for commercial, scientific or environmental purposes, the advantages of blimps as portable unmanned vehicles are clear and compelling.