fly-by-wire

[flahy-bahy-wahyuh r]

adjective

(of aircraft or spacecraft) activated entirely by electronic controls.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fly-by-wire

Contemporary Examples of fly-by-wire

And Sullenberger was flying an Airbus—the smaller A320, but with identical “fly-by-wire” controls to those of the A330.
Who Was Flying Flight 447?
Clive Irving
June 5, 2009
The Airbus was as “fly-by-wire” plane, which means that the flaps on the wings are commanded by wires rather than manual tubes.
7 Theories on the Crash of Flight 447
The Daily Beast
June 2, 2009

British Dictionary definitions for fly-by-wire

fly-by-wire

noun

aircraft control through systems operated by electronic circuits rather than mechanical rodsAbbreviation: FBW

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012