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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. Sperrys innovation was presented at the competition installed in a Curtiss C-2 single-engine airplane with a hull-shaped lower fuselage.

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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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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

When the aircraft encounters a vortex and its strong enough to induce roll, the pilot counters it by using the ailerons against the roll and tries to fly out of the wake as soon as possible. If the aircrafts wingspan is long enough, its ailerons will extend beyond the vortex diameter, and counter control would still be possible.

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Flight Test Files: Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Vintage Aviation News

One of the standout aircraft in Drydens research history is the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a legendary Navy fighter jet that played a key role in two major research programs at the center. The NACA Test Force at the High-Speed Flight Station in Edwards, California. The white aircraft in the foreground is a Douglas Skyrocket.

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Why Use a Checklist?

Plane and Pilot

Flight controls mean ailerons, elevator, and rudder, of course, but on some airplanes, if the trim is mis-set, the plane might be difficult or impossible to control. This reason is more important in jets than to us single-engine pilots, but it still applies. Flight controls and engine controls are the obvious ones.

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Simulated Austria Is Wild, Wonderful

Flying Magazine

The CRJ is interesting to fly with a lot of trimming required as it’s a long-bodied jet with a large swing either side of the CG. I mean, all jets I have flown are like that, but this is fairly sensitive to pitch, power, and flap configuration—all requiring lots of trimming. With a lighter corporate jet, that is powerful.

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Rebirth of FG-1D Corsair 92460

Vintage Aviation News

. “We were able to trade the oil coolers and exhausts to Chuck Whal for non-airworthy parts and ailerons.” Gary Dunn, of the Classic Jet Fighters Museum in Australia, visited several times, helping the crew fabricate special tooling to allow CASC to manufacture hat channels on their shops rolling machine.

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