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Examining over 100 years of flight automation and the history of the autopilot

Aerotime

His system would provide an aircraft with automatic stability and control mechanism, through the control of the ailerons, stabilizer, and tail rudder through the use of a set of simple gyroscopes. As the French mechanic slid himself along the wing of the aircraft, shifting its center of gravity, the aircraft became unbalanced.

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Everything You Need To Know About Ailerons

Pilot Institute

At first glance, ailerons look like ordinary hinged panels on the wings, but don’t be fooledthey’re important for keeping an aircraft both stable and maneuverable. But theres much more to ailerons than just rolling left or right. Or how do modern airplanes reduce dangerous effects like aileron flutter or adverse yaw?

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What Is a Flat Spin?

Pilot Institute

PARE: Power idle, Ailerons neutral, Rudder opposite, Elevator forward. An aft center of gravity increases flat spin risk. A flat spin happens when the center of gravity shifts too far aft (toward the tail), and the aircraft’s rotation becomes more horizontal. Ailerons: Neutral. Let’s get started!

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The Role of Newton’s Third Law in Aviation

Pilot Institute

Lets break down the main control surfaces and how they use action-reaction: Ailerons Ailerons are flaps placed on the wings trailing edges. They work in opposite pairs: when one aileron goes up, the other goes down. The raised aileron on the right wing deflects airflow upward ( action ). This is where the rudder comes in.

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A Rare Robin

Plane and Pilot

The Robin has a placard that reads: Rudder in fully opposed direction; Elevator control pulled fully back; Ailerons in neutral position. A hint of the Robins aerobatic pretensions might be the size of the rudder. You do need to apply a lot of right rudder on climbout, but if youre a tailwheel pilot, that should come naturally.

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Mastering Crosswind Landings (A Step-by-Step Guide)

Pilot Institute

Your ailerons and rudder will be neutral once you’re in the crab position. We use the rudder to align the aircraft’s longitudinal axis with the centerline. Simultaneously, we apply ailerons opposite the rudder input. The ailerons control our lateral position over the runway.

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What Is a Dutch Roll, and Is It Dangerous?

Pilot Institute

Placing the center of gravity ahead of the aircraft’s center of lift improves longitudinal stability. Doing so provides more lateral stability since the aircraft’s Center of Gravity (CG) lies below the wings. Once the yaw dampens, gradually reduce rudder input to neutral. What is a yaw damper?