Which AFCS mode has the capacity for full flight control authority?

• A. SAS ON
• B. Attitude Hold
• C. Trim
• D. Stabilize

Answer: (C)

AFCS modes differ in how much control the system can exert over the aircraft. Full flight control authority means the system can command the flight surfaces across axes to achieve and maintain the desired flight state with minimal pilot input.

Trim mode is designed to take over adjusting the control surfaces to reach and hold a balanced, trimmed condition. When the AFCS is in trim, it actively moves and holds the surfaces to achieve the commanded trim state, effectively giving the system full authority to shape the aircraft’s attitude and load distribution as needed to stay balanced. This is why trim is the best choice for full control authority.

Stabilize mainly provides damping and stabilization rather than commanding the aircraft along a full flight path. Attitude Hold keeps the aircraft at a specified attitude but doesn’t inherently drive the full maneuvering state. SAS ON adds stability augmentation but doesn’t by itself deliver full automated control across all axes.