Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Aircraft Controls: Primary ControlsAilerons, Elevators, Rudder The three primary flight controls ailerons , elevators, and rudderare essential for piloting an aircraft. Elevators, found on the tail, manage its pitch, or up-and-down motion. The rudder, also on the tail, adjusts yaw, which affects left and right turns.

Aileron 52

Aileron Drag Rudder Descent 52

Air Facts

OCTOBER 9, 2024

This particular Sunday, the weather was forecasted to be a gem of a day. Autumn weather in the Northeast is the best time to fly in my opinion; cool crisp mornings usually followed by temperatures in the mid 70’s with low humidity. Instead of a Sunday Drive, we opted for a Sunday Flight.

Weather 94

Weather Hangar Rudder Tail 94

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 18, 2024

Most of the time, I would turn the floatplane setting the tails of the floats onto the shore in order to make our departure a simple matter of climbing in, starting the engine, and with a burst of throttle, sliding into the deeper water and going about our day. To put it mildly, it is a very risky maneuver. Back to the shore of Heckman Lake.

Airplanes 80

Airplanes Torque Tail Pilot 80

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 18, 2024

Most of the time, I would turn the floatplane setting the tails of the floats onto the shore in order to make our departure a simple matter of climbing in, starting the engine, and with a burst of throttle, sliding into the deeper water and going about our day. To put it mildly, it is a very risky maneuver. Back to the shore of Heckman Lake.

Airplanes 78

Airplanes Torque Tail Pilot 78

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 2, 2024

Notable design changes included the introduction of a swept tail design in 1960 and a new cowl design in 1961, which improved aerodynamics and performance. Several incidents involving the Cessna 172 have been documented, typically attributed to pilot error, adverse weather conditions, or mechanical issues.

Knot 98

Knot Cockpit Pilot Gross Weight 98

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

This was another satisfying trip, full of ADM, IMSAFE, and trade-offs—and weather. The weather was… interesting. Fussing with the avionics to keep tabs on the weather gave many more knob touches than the airplane itself. The FAA weather said a thunderstorm was forecast, gusts to 6 knots. Lesson learned.

Weather 52

Weather Runway Knot Rudder 52

Pilot's Life Blog

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Control Mechanisms Airplane Controls In airplanes, pilots manage flight using three primary controls: the ailerons, elevator, and rudder. The elevator, situated on the horizontal tail surface, adjusts pitch, raising or lowering the nose for ascent or descent.

Torque 52

Torque Lift Airplanes Stability 52

Photographic Logbook

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

But space in the main hangar is incredibly limited and that relegates several other aircraft to sitting out in the weather. Pitch was controlled by varying the angle of incidence of the upper wing (forward and aft motions of the stick) and roll was initiated by the oversize rudder (left-right motion of the stick).

Torque 52

Torque Airplanes Clearance Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

PARE: Power idle, Ailerons neutral, Rudder opposite, Elevator forward. A flat spin happens when the center of gravity shifts too far aft (toward the tail), and the aircraft’s rotation becomes more horizontal. Rudder: Full opposite input to the spin direction. Ready to become a safer pilot? Let’s get started! Ailerons: Neutral.

Center of Gravity 98

Center of Gravity Weight-Shift-Control Aileron Rudder 98

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Though the fabric on the wings would be recovered in 1952, the structure of the wings, tail, and rudder remained original to 1910. Despite the fabric on the wooden blades being slightly frayed, they were not deemed to be too damaged to press on, and weather reports indicated improving conditions in Washington, D.C.

Airplanes 105

Airplanes Jet Pilot Weather 105

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Missing its tail, pointing almost straight down, a Van’s RV-7A single-engine, two-seat homebuilt plummeted out of the blue and into the rocky ground. Alongside a nearby highway, some recognizable bits of airplane, the vertical stabilizer and rudder, a horizontal stabilizer and elevator, fell separately to Earth.

True Airspeed 88

True Airspeed Indicated Airspeed Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron 88

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Missing its tail, pointing almost straight down, a Van’s RV-7A single-engine, two-seat homebuilt plummeted out of the blue and into the rocky ground. Alongside a nearby highway, some recognizable bits of airplane, the vertical stabilizer and rudder, a horizontal stabilizer and elevator, fell separately to Earth.

True Airspeed 86

True Airspeed Indicated Airspeed Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron 86

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

But don’t hang up your headset just because the weather isn’t perfect. 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.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Longitudinal Axis Aileron Rudder 52

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

In 1998, I joined a venerable flying club, Stick and Rudder Flying Club of Waukegan National Airport (KUGN). We were out for a beautiful evening flight in perfect weather. We slowed, tapped the tail first, and the nose came down solidly, causing the now open passenger door to come off in Diane’s hand. And she was not kidding.

Pilot 98

Pilot Descent Runway Crosswind 98

Photographic Logbook

JANUARY 25, 2025

But getting there from Rochester, NY is never a simple task and not only requires the runway to be open with favorable conditions, but the weather between here and there must be amenable to a six hour round trip there and back again. More vintage cred: a V-tailed Beechcraft Bonanza! Oh, because of the purple.

Runway 68

Runway Airplanes Threshold Approach 68

Airspeed Junkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

It has been a supersonic, twin-engine, all-weather, multi-role combat aircraft since 1995. However, rear fins stabilize the aircraft, and rudders allow the jet to turn. The F-18 Fighter Jet: A Review The F-18 Fighter Jet has become one of the most iconic military aircraft in history. It is a single-seat aircraft.

Jet 52

Jet Thrust Stability Cockpit 52

Fear of Landing

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Weather reports from the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field on the island warned of a low cloud ceiling, overcast at 700-800 feet. My feet danced on the rudder pedals as I fought to keep the plane going straight down the runway. They saw the tail of the air craft, about a mile west of the airport and 300 feet below.

Runway 52

Runway Altimeter Pilot Lift 52

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 7, 2025

She flew like a big, lumbering Cub of sorts, complete with a wooden rudder bar, tall wooden stick, and instruments that seemed like they were straight out of World War One. But my recommendation is to find a very early Bonanza for your first V-tail experience. The Cessna 195 is known for its round tail and flashy looks.

Airplanes 98

Airplanes Tail Pilot Jet 98

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

The Rifle ASOS recorded a gust of 43 mph from the south: a 100-degree shift in direction, putting it right on his tail. He frequently hosted visiting pilots, providing them with detailed briefings of the area and the weather. There was no opportunity to recover and it hit the ground hard, thankfully just out of camera view.

Pilot 52

Pilot AGL Wind Shear Runway 52

Photographic Logbook

SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

He's at full takeoff power and he's got the tail up! However, turning the wheel actuates the rudder (instead of the ailerons). A little weather en route home. Where is he going?! Surely our 100 year old barnstormer doesn't mean to take off by himself in the Great Lakes?! 1931 Great Lakes (reproduction). What is happening?!

Airplanes 56

Airplanes Runway Pilot Aileron 56