Electronic flight control system for an aircraft capable of hovering

1. A flight control system that is electronic and is for an aircraft capable of hovering and comprising at least one rotor, the flight control system comprising:

a manual flight control mode that the flight control system is configured to operate in, in which the flight control system controls rotor speed in response to direct commands from a pilot; and

at least two automatic flight control modes that the flight control system is configured to operate in corresponding to respective flight modes of the aircraft, and in which the flight control system controls the rotor speed automatically on a basis of flight conditions;

the flight control system being characterized by also being configured to:

memorize, for each of said automatic flight control modes, a respective flight table relating different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least one flight quantity; and

automatically control the rotor speed in said automatic flight control modes on a basis of the respective flight tables.

2. The flight control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the values of said at least one flight quantity in each respective flight table are divided into ranges, each associated with a corresponding rotor speed value.

3. A flight control system as claimed in claim 1 , and also configured to control switching between different rotor speed values in the same automatic flight control mode automatically and in stair-step profiles.

4. A flight control system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the stair-step profiles have a size of steps in ranges between 1% and 10% of a range spanned by values between which switching is performed.

5. A flight control system as claimed in claim 1 , and wherein said automatic flight control modes are such that the aircraft flies in:

a low-noise and/or low-fuel-consumption flight mode; and

a high-performance flight mode.

6. A flight control system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said high-performance flight mode is such as to maximize a flight envelope.

7. A flight control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said flight table relates different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least two different flight quantities; and the values of the at least two different flight quantities in each flight table are divided into areas, each associated with a corresponding rotor speed value.

8. A flight control system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said at least two different flight quantities are selected from quantities indicating aircraft flying speed, density altitude, pressure altitude, height above ground level, aircraft weight, orientation, flying direction, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, weather conditions, and wind force and direction.

9. A flight control system as claimed in claim 1 , and also configured to automatically control switching between the two automatic flight control modes in response to pilot command.

10. A flight control system as claimed in claim 9 , and also configured to enable or disable switching between the two automatic flight control modes on a basis of an in-flight weight of the aircraft.

11. A flight control system that is electronic and is for an aircraft capable of hovering and comprising at least one rotor, the flight control system comprising:

a manual flight control mode that the flight control system is configured to operate in, in which the flight control system controls rotor speed in response to direct commands from a pilot; and

at least two automatic flight control modes that the flight control system is configured to operate in corresponding to respective flight modes of the aircraft, and in which the flight control system controls the rotor speed automatically on a basis of flight conditions;

the flight control system being characterized by also being configured to:

memorize, for each of said automatic flight control modes, a respective flight table relating different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least one flight quantity; and

automatically control the rotor speed in said automatic flight control modes on a basis of the respective flight tables, wherein the electronic flight control system is in the aircraft.

12. A computer readable non-transitory memory storing instructions, which when executed by a computer system results in providing a flight control system that is electronic and is for an aircraft capable of hovering and comprising a main rotor and a tail rotor, comprising:

providing a manual flight control mode, in which the flight control system controls rotor speed in response to direct commands from a pilot;

providing at least two automatic flight control modes corresponding to respective flight modes of the aircraft, and in which the flight control system controls the rotor speed automatically on a basis of flight conditions;

providing, for each of said automatic flight control modes, a respective flight table relating different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least one flight quantity; and

automatically controlling the rotor speed in said automatic flight control modes on a basis of the respective flight tables.