[uscabjd]

Thanks. What is FBW, and what does “pitch and rudder authority condition” mean?

I too am upset about this.

[BIGLOOK]

FBW is Fly by Wire, manual control.

[Pukin Dog]

It means that the aircraft has very limited rudder and elevator control. VERY limited. FBW=’Fly-by-wire’ In the Hornet, the pilot is only one voting member, along with the computer, on what the aircraft is allowed to do. The Hornet is an inherently unstable aircraft, and needs the computers just to stay in the air. The instability is what makes the aircraft extremely maneuverable.