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A control system includes control surfaces which, when deflected, generate a moment (or couple from ailerons) about the cg which rotates the aircraft in pitch, roll, and yaw. For example, a pitching moment comes from a force applied at a distance forward or aft of the cg, causing the aircraft to pitch up or down.
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. [1] Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around the aircraft's longitudinal axis), which normally results in a change in flight path due to the ...
Ailerons also have a secondary effect on yaw. These axes move with the aircraft and change relative to the earth as the aircraft moves. For example, for an aircraft whose left wing is pointing straight down, its "vertical" axis is parallel with the ground, while its "transverse" axis is perpendicular to the ground.
However, in the beginning of a turn, when the ailerons are being applied in order to bank the airplane, the ailerons also cause an adverse yaw of the airplane. For example, if the airplane is rolling clockwise (from the pilot point of view), the airplane yaws to the left. It assumes a crab-like attitude relative to the wind.
Adverse yaw is a secondary effect of the inclination of the lift vectors on the wing due to its rolling velocity and of the application of the ailerons. [2]: 327 Some pilot training manuals focus mainly on the additional drag caused by the downward-deflected aileron [3] [4] and make only brief [5] or indirect [6] mentions of roll effects.
Examples of this are the Immelmann turn, barrel roll, and Split S. An aileron roll carried out by a pilot as a sign of victory or celebration is known as a victory roll . Test pilots commonly employ the aileron roll to evaluate an aircraft's turning characteristics (e.g. time to turn).
Aircraft flight mechanics are relevant to fixed wing (gliders, aeroplanes) and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft.An aeroplane (airplane in US usage), is defined in ICAO Document 9110 as, "a power-driven heavier than air aircraft, deriving its lift chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surface which remain fixed under given conditions of flight".
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets. [1] Essential flight control surfaces are attached here to control the direction of the departing air flow, and exert a controlling force on the aircraft. [ 2 ]