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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

The Weather Vane It mostly comes from the vertical stabilizer (fin) and the sides of the fuselage behind the center of gravity. The reflexed shape of the airfoil usually causes a positive (nose-up) pitching moment coefficient at its aerodynamic center. They combine the functions of elevators and ailerons.

Tail 52
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The Role of Newton’s Third Law in Aviation

Pilot Institute

If we understand it well enough, we can harness this phenomenon to help us even defy gravity. Developments in aircraft design and engine technology have allowed us to fly farther, faster, and carry more payload. They work in opposite pairs: when one aileron goes up, the other goes down. It provides yaw control.

Lift 52
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Nothing Small About It

Plane and Pilot

The wing’s dead-smooth surface plus the tight-fitting aileron and flap brackets plus aileron gap seals give the build a professional factory look (left). Nudging it back to center slid the ball a diameter the other way—trying to corral it in the middle was a bit pointless as it didn’t want to live there.