Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

Nowadays, modern aircraft are equipped with systems that can not only fly the aircraft but can also perform fully automated take-offs and landings and can even provide protection systems in the event of unusual flight situations that threaten the safety of the airplane and its occupants. What is an autopilot?

Weight-Shift-Control 301

Weight-Shift-Control Cockpit Pilot Stability 301

Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

Have you ever seen an airplane with no tail and no vertical fin, but with just a sleek wing? How does it turn or climb without the usual control surfaces? Despite their lack of horizontal control surfaces, tailless aircraft are designed to be stable. Ever wondered how it stays balanced? What Is a Tailless Aircraft?

Tail 52

Tail Airplanes Weight-Shift-Control Drag 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 1, 2024

The ability to bank is essential to controlled flight. Otto Lilienthal did it by shifting his weight, but for the much larger Wright Flyer the solution was to make one wing produce more lift than the other by twisting them in opposite directions. The wind hits the deflected surface of the aileron and pushes on it.

Aileron 111

Aileron Airfoil Weight-Shift-Control Airplanes 111

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

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. These control surfaces dictate the aircraft’s roll, and this allows it to bank smoothly through turns or even recover from turbulence. What Is an Aileron?

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Plane and Pilot

MAY 3, 2025

Airplanes like the Piper Cherokee probably dont get their due. Ask a stranger to think of a small GA airplane, and theyll probably conjure something like a Cub. Lets go back to that time in postwar GA when the sands shifted quickly. Fantasies revolve around high-profile aircraftthe P-51s, SR-71s, and DC-3s of the world.

Approach 73

Approach Airplanes Stability Weight-Shift-Control 73

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Richard Shuttleworth obtained it in 1935 as his first historic airplane. It is generally recognized as the world’s oldest airplane with the earliest aero-engine in flying condition. James Kightly] One of Louis Blriot’s major achievements, and one he deserves credit for, was his control system.

Weight-Shift-Control 73

Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Aileron Airplanes 73

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

Aircraft Weight and Limitations An aircraft’s weight affects inertia and stopping distance. The POH lists landing distances for specific gross weights. Smaller aircraft may only have short field landing distances for maximum gross weight. This is because there is less airflow over the control surfaces.

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control Runway Density Altitude Descent 52