Thrust control apparatus and method for an airplane

A thrust control apparatus for controlling the thrust generated by a plurality of airplane internal combustion engines, each engine driving a corresponding variable pitch propeller and wherein each engine includes a throttle valve, the thrust control apparatus comprising:

• means for controlling a speed of each engine by changing a pitch of the corresponding propeller;
• means for controlling a degree of opening of each throttle valve;
• a control lever operated by an operator of the airplane;
• means for determining a flight condition of the airplane, wherein the flight condition determining means detects a revolution phase of a blade of each propeller;
• and
• control means coupled to the speed controlling means, the throttle controlling means, the control lever and the flight condition determining means, wherein, based on a degree of operation of the control lever, the control means sets for each engine an engine speed and an initial degree of throttle valve opening and wherein, based on the flight condition determined by the flight condition determining means, the control means sets for each engine a corrected engine speed and a corrected degree of throttle valve, wherein the control means sets the corrected engine speed for each engine so as to synchronize the revolution phase of the blades of the propellers.

An airplane thrust control method comprising the steps of:

• controlling a speed of an internal combustion engine installed in an airplane by changing a pitch of a propeller driven by the engine;
• controlling a degree of opening of a throttle valve of the engine;
• operation, by an operator of the airplane, of a control lever to indicate a desired thrust;
• setting initial values of the engine speed and the degree of opening of the throttle valve based on the operation of the control lever;
• determining a flight condition of the airplane;
• and
• setting a corrected engine speed on the basis of the initial engine speed and the flight condition and a corrected degree of opening of the throttle valve on the basis of the initial degree of opening of the throttle valve and the flight condition.