PHAK 6-3

Lateral axis (longitudinal stability) Aileron—Roll Rudder—Yaw Elevator—Pitch Longitudinal axis (lateral stability) Vertical axis (directional stability) Aileron Roll Longitudinal Lateral Rudder Yaw Vertical Directional Elevator/ Stabilator Pitch Lateral Longitudinal Primary Control Surface Airplane Movement Axes of Rotation Type of Stability Figure 6-4. Airplane controls, movement, axes of rotation, and type of stability. Figure 6-5. Adverse yaw is caused by higher drag on the outside wing that is producing more lift. Lift Drag Lift Drag A d v e r s e y a w natural feel. At low airspeeds, the controls usually feel soft and sluggish, and the aircraft responds slowly to control applications. At higher airspeeds, the controls become increasingly firm and aircraft response is more rapid. Movement of any of the three primary flight control surfaces (ailerons, elevator or stabilator, or rudder), changes the airflow and pressure distribution over and around the airfoil. These changes affect the lift and drag produced by the airfoil/ control surface combination, and allow a pilot to control the aircraft about its three axes of rotation. Design features limit the amount of deflection of flight control surfaces. For example, control-stop mechanisms may be incorporated into the flight control linkages, or movement of the control column and/or rudder pedals may be limited. The purpose of these design limits is to prevent the pilot from inadvertently overcontrolling and overstressing the aircraft during normal maneuvers. A properly designed aircraft is stable and easily controlled during normal maneuvering. Control surface inputs cause movement about the three axes of rotation. The types of stability an aircraft exhibits also relate to the three axes of rotation. [Figure 6-4] Ailerons Ailerons control roll about the longitudinal axis. The ailerons are attached to the outboard trailing edge of each wing and move in the opposite direction from each other. Ailerons are connected by cables, bellcranks, pulleys, and/or push-pull tubes to a control wheel or control stick. Moving the control wheel, or control stick, to the right causes the right aileron to deflect upward and the left aileron to deflect downward. The upward deflection of the right aileron decreases the camber resulting in decreased lift on the right wing. The corresponding downward deflection of the left aileron increases the camber resulting in increased lift on the left wing. Thus, the increased lift on the left wing and the decreased lift on the right wing causes the aircraft to roll to the right. Adverse Yaw Since the downward deflected aileron produces more lift as evidenced by the wing raising, it also produces more drag. This added drag causes the wing to slow down slightly. This results in the aircraft yawing toward the wing which had experienced an increase in lift (and drag). From the pilot’s perspective, the yaw is opposite the direction of the bank. The adverse yaw is a result of differential drag and the slight difference in the velocity of the left and right wings. [Figure 6-5] Adverse yaw becomes more pronounced at low airspeeds. At these slower airspeeds, aerodynamic pressure on control surfaces are low, and larger control inputs are required to