Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Understanding the Basics of Flight Aerodynamics 101 Flying a small plane revolves around understanding four key forces: lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Thrust, produced by the engine, propels the plane forward, overcoming drag, which is the resistance caused by air.

Weather 52

Weather Pilot Drag Rudder 52

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Understanding the Basics of Flight Principles of Flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag Flying a plane for the first time requires a basic understanding of the forces that make flight possible. Thrust, produced by the engines, moves the plane forward, while drag, or air resistance, slows it down.

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Aileron Drag Rudder Descent 52

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 11, 2025

D-558-2 Skyrocket take off using JATO assist in 1949 NACA engineers improved the rockets performance by adding nozzle extensions to its combustion chambers, reducing exhaust interference with the rudders and increasing thrust at altitude. Breaking Barriers: Mach 2 That record attempt came on November 20, 1953.

Drag 52

Drag Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Airfoil 52

Thrust Flight

JULY 11, 2024

You’re greasing the landings, your flight instructor has finally stopped chirping on about your insufficient use of the rudder, and the crosswind is blissfully mellow. What the […] The post 3 Tips for a Successful First Solo Flight appeared first on Thrust Flight.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Rudder Thrust 52

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 18, 2025

Photo by NASA The impetus for the program came from issues the Navy had encountered with inadvertent spin entries, which were traced back to the aircrafts aileron rudder interconnect system. The aircraft also participated in studies involving low-altitude flight with asymmetric engine thrust.

Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron Tail Airfoil 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

These were small pedals at the base of the rudder pedals that give the same differential control as toe brakes, but you push your heels in for brake application. Twice in the first few months after upgrading, I flew jets with a thrust reverser deferred, a situation I’d seen plenty of times as a first officer.

Rudder 78

Rudder Runway Altimeter Pilot 78

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 8, 2024

The motor turned at 180 revolutions per minute, powering a two-bladed propeller that generated 26 pounds of thrust. The car, built from bamboo, was light but strong, and the steering was achieved through a silk rudder attached to the rear. The Tissandier brothers equipped the airship with a 1.5-horsepower Model (scale 1:50).

Rudder 98

Rudder Thrust Weather Pilot 98

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 27, 2025

By adding power, thrust can be increased to keep the airspeed from decelerating too rapidly and the wings from suddenly losing lift, but throttle must be closed immediately after touchdown. Depending on the severity of ballooning, the use of throttle may be helpful in cushioning the landing.

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Airplanes Runway Accelerated Stall Lift 89

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

Maintain Control and Increase Airspeed It’s important that you add right rudder to neutralize the aircraft’s left-turning tendencies. It’s mainly due to the effects of thrust and the high-energy slipstream from the propeller preventing boundary separation.

Descent 52

Descent Approach AGL Lift 52

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Adverse yaw is a side effect of aileron use, countered by rudder input. Unlike the elevators and rudder mounted close to the fuselage, the ailerons location at the end of the long, thin, and flexible wings makes them much more prone to flutter. This is where the rudder comes in. What Is an Aileron?

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

These were small pedals at the base of the rudder pedals that give the same differential control as toe brakes, but you push your heels in for brake application. Twice in the first few months after upgrading, I flew jets with a thrust reverser deferred, a situation I’d seen plenty of times as a first officer.

Rudder 52

Rudder Runway Altimeter Pilot 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Common mistakes include neglecting clearing turns, delaying stall recovery, and misusing the rudder. Thrust : The force generated by the engine that propels the aircraft forward. Pilots must counteract the additional drag with more thrust to maintain altitude. Gradually reduce thrust from cruise power.

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Lift Rudder Drag Checkride 52

Pilot's Life Blog

MARCH 15, 2024

You’ll find a horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, elevator, and rudder pedals here. The engine creates thrust by burning fuel. Of all the sections of an aircraft, the tail assembly is perhaps the most important for keeping an airplane in the air safely. What are the basic parts of this section?

Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron Air Traffic Control Lift 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 rudder, attached to the vertical tail fin, manages yaw, enabling the nose to move left or right. Coordinating these controls demands continuous input and attentiveness from the pilot.

Torque 52

Torque Lift Airplanes Stability 52

Jetwhine

JANUARY 17, 2024

You’d think pilot problems would be all about stick-and-rudder skills here,” he said. Steering happens through coordinated use of brakeless rudder pedals augmented by a handbrake, which looks like it was swiped from a 10-speed bike, attached to the control stick. Hold full right rudder and gently grab the handbrake.

Knot 52

Knot Rudder Pilot Jet 52

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Brief that you will use the right rudder to align the aircraft straight with the runway and the left aileron to counteract drift. This is because only one engine produces thrust. Make sure to brief which way the aircraft will yaw, and which rudder you will use to counteract it. For example, the crosswind is from left to right.

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Descent Approach Runway 52

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

This principle is fundamental in generating lift, thrust, and maneuverability, allowing aircraft to fly. Thrust (how it moves forward). Thrust and Propulsion Systems A wing has to move fast enough through the air to generate lift effectively. That force is called thrust. Thrust relies on Newtons Third Law as well.

Lift 52

Lift Torque Thrust Aileron 52

Fly with Eva

FEBRUARY 24, 2018

I struggle to fly a nice approach, coordinating my rudder and thrust. However, the last training session we have to handle ‘two engines inoperative’, this means to make an approach with only 2 engines (on the same wing) running. This is hard work, especially at maximum landing weight (346.090 kg). I am not pleased with my performance.

Approach 52

Approach Flight Deck Cargo Pilot 52

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. Hartman, and a tachometer and an ice scale used by Hartman to measure the pounds of thrust generated by the engine before takeoff.

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Airplanes Jet Pilot Weather 105

Aerotime

JULY 19, 2024

The primary flight controls on the DC-10 (ailerons, rudder, elevators, spoilers) were all operated by hydraulic pressure and the first officer was quick to realize that his controls were unresponsive to his inputs. The plane entered a descending right-hand turn.

Runway 301

Runway Horizontal Stabilizer Airline Airlines 301

Pilot Institute

JANUARY 15, 2025

That being said, repeated full deflection of any flight controls (such as full right rudder and then full left rudder, for example) is not recommended, even below VA. V1 is where the pilot must take the first action (such as reducing thrust) to stop the aircraft or risk a runway overrun.

V Speed 98

V Speed Runway Pilot Knot 98

Airspeed Junkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

They have powerful turbine engines that create thrust. However, rear fins stabilize the aircraft, and rudders allow the jet to turn. In addition, they have two engines F414-GE-400 which can give a static thrust of 22,000 pounds (9,977 kg) each. The two broad wings will then create lift.

Jet 52

Jet Thrust Stability Cockpit 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 9, 2024

We learn all about aerodynamics, thrust, drag, lift, and gravity, study flight manuals, emergency procedures, and FARs, take oral exams and check rides, and constantly review everything we can find about flying. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.”

Runway 91

Runway Pilot Approach Weather 91

Vintage Aviation News

AUGUST 29, 2024

Lead banked and wagged his rudder, signaling us to maneuver back into a spread formation. Functioning exactly as designed, those flat-plate boards sticking into the airstream were creating beaucoup drag, battling against the J-79s’ thrust. We flew directly over the target, roughly 10,000 ft. What the….? Had we been hit?

Drag 52

Drag Thrust Pilot Rudder 52

Vintage Aviation News

MARCH 18, 2025

Randy Malmstrom photo] The tail fin has been made asymmetrical as per the late Bf 109 specifications (unlike that of the smaller Buchn rudder and vertical stabilizer). ” This was in response to the July 20, 1944 attempted coup led by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg.

Tail 59

Tail Rudder Thrust Stability 59

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 12, 2024

Stalling with a high-power setting takes more effort since there is thrust and a high-energy slipstream from the propeller, which prevents boundary layer separation. This requires rudder input to maintain directional control. This increases the effective pitch angle of the stall when compared to a power-off stall.

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Stability Horizontal Stabilizer Airplanes 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. A time capsule, indeed. A 1939 DC-3 sits in the grass at the Peach State Aerodrome in Georgia. If you think that, you havent flown an NXCub.

Airplanes 98

Airplanes Tail Pilot Jet 98

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

An elegantly simple rope system inside the fuselage raises and lowers the Gweduck’s water rudder mounted inside the base of the main rudder (right). The only unconventional thing I noticed (as did the folks in back) was the rudder has a dead spot mid-travel. Overall, the controls were wonderful. So what would I fix?

Airplanes 77

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 77

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 1, 2025

Control of both aircraft was achieved through foot pedals for the rudder and a joystick for the elevator and wing controls, which was achieved through wing warping. 2b (introduced in 1913), which offered revised cockpit coamings for better protection from the elements and revisions for both the elevator and rudder controls.

Cockpit 52

Cockpit Pilot Rudder Stability 52

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 5, 2025

This configuration provides the necessary power for both climb and cruise, while also offering valuable training for managing asymmetric thrust in the event of an engine-out situation. The operative engine will create asymmetric thrust, so adjusting the aircrafts heading and maintaining coordinated flight is essential.

Descent 52

Descent Final Approach Approach Runway 52