Definition
A control cable made of 7 strands of wire with each strand containing 7 individual wires (designated 7x7), used in aircraft control systems where the cable runs in straight lines and does not need to bend around pulleys of small diameter. It is stiffer and stronger than flexible cable but less able to wrap around tight radii without fatigue.
Plain English
A stiffer type of aircraft control cable, built from fewer and larger wires, used in places where the cable runs straight and doesn't need to bend much.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance descriptions of flight-control cable systems, especially when identifying which cable type may be used in a straight run.
Derivation
Nonflexible' simply means 'not flexible' — but in cable terms it doesn't mean rigid like a rod. It means less flexible than the alternative (7x19 flexible cable). The name describes how the cable behaves when bent, not whether it can bend at all.
Why Pilots Care
Provides immediate and precise response with no cable stretch, reducing control lag and improving handling accuracy.
Intuition Check
Nonflexible does not mean the cable cannot bend at all. Here it means the cable is not designed to keep bending around pulleys during normal operation.
Example Sentence 1
The straight cable run from the cockpit to the tail bellcrank uses nonflexible 7x7 control cable.
Example Sentence 2
Mechanics replaced the nonflexible control cable with a matching solid linkage to restore direct elevator response.