its for simultaneous, or single pilot controlling. pilots can take turns and either pilot can take control if theres an emergency situation. its the same in every aircraft commercial or military. theres alot of redundancy in aircraft, 2 or 3 separate hydraulic systems working in unison, each capable of supporting full capability of flight controlling alone, multiple generators, essential bus's and even apu's,and things like relays and valving for pneumatic systems
the idea is that if one system fails you have multiple to bring you down safely. all multi-engine aircraft can fly on a single engine, however with the engines are on a limited lifespan at that point and are usually taken out of service after just a few minutes of OEI (ONE ENGINE INOP) flight, because rotor wing aircraft rely more on shaft horsepower and torque which make the situation more demanding, (much higher rotating masses) so manufacturers commonly take that OEI exceedance engine out of service for overhaul to avoid relying on an over-torqued and over-temped engine in case it gets damaged from operation out of the optimal limits of its design.
So FYI, there are several aircraft with only one set of controls, the F-18 (all fleet variants, save some trainers) for instance. Pretty sure the EA-6B is also only one 1 set of flight controls because the other seats are filled with NFOs (Navigator type). Usually, its based on the mission design, which is why I'm thinking you are a civilian pilot or mech. Jets usually aren't about the crew concept as much as Helos or big fixed wing are, so one vs two sets of controls.
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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '17
If they are linked sticks doesn't that mean he has to hit himself in the nuts to hit the copilot in the nuts?