What is FADEC?

• A. Receives aircraft and engine sensor information and determines the appropriate engine scheduling to operate the engine in all areas of the flight envelope.
• B. A manual throttle control for engine power.
• C. A fuel metering device in the fuel system.
• D. A hydraulic pump used for landing gear.

Answer: (A)

FADEC stands for Full Authority Digital Engine Control. It is the digital brain of modern jet engines, taking input from many aircraft and engine sensors—such as RPM, temperatures, pressures, altitude, and airspeed—and using that data to schedule the engine’s operation across the entire flight envelope. It autonomously determines fuel flow and other control actions to deliver the commanded thrust while keeping the engine within safe limits, handling starts, idle, takeoff, climb, cruise, and descent. This automatic control helps optimize performance, efficiency, and safety, and it reduces pilot workload because the throttle input translates into precise engine behavior without manual metering.

The other descriptions don’t fit because FADEC is not a manual throttle mechanism, nor is it merely a fuel metering device alone, and it isn’t a hydraulic component for landing gear.