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

Plane and Pilot

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

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. In that configuration, it didnt depart the airplane but, instead, blocked airflow to the tail, with fatal results. But there are variations from plane to plane.

Airplanes

CFI Academy

MARCH 28, 2025

Here’s what they are and what you need to understand about each: Crossed-Control Stall What It Is: This stall occurs when the aircraft is in a skidding turn, typically with ailerons applied in one direction and rudder in the opposite direction (e.g., left aileron, right rudder). How to Perform: Enter a turn (e.g.,

Aileron

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. Most of the ailerons mass lies behind the hinge, making it tail-heavy.

Aileron

Plane and Pilot

DECEMBER 30, 2024

In addition to repairing the left gear leg, the right gear and rudder were removed for recovering. Andrews eyes and smile were growing big as we approached the plane in silence. Andrew with the Taylorcraft in the 1980s, before it received the checkerboard tail. Looks good with retracts, he replies. He laughs.

Airplanes

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

Helicopters use a small rotor mounted on the tail that produces sideways thrust to counter the main rotors torque reaction. The tail rotor pushes air to one side ( action ), and the tail moves the other way ( reaction ). Other Designs The tail rotor is not the only way to solve the torque reaction problem.

Torque

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 25, 2025

After a low pass for the public and the press that had gathered to watch, Captain Thomas made the approach on runway 36 north. (Historic Chicago) On September 28, 1992, the Boeing 727 took off from Chicagos OHare International Airport on the short flight to Meigs.

Cockpit

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Just to be clear, although I avoid flying in “hard” IFR, all of my IFR practice includes approaches to minimums, go-arounds, and holding patterns—just in case. I lamented that there was no tail tie-down until I remembered that I had brought three welded rebar tie-downs and a heavy hammer to drive them in.

Weather

Air Facts

AUGUST 1, 2025

I sat in the cockpit of the old Tecnam P92-JS Echo, tail number I-GITR. The plane was one of the earliest of its model built by Tecnam, and the tail number was an homage to former Italian finance minister Giulio Tremonti. Tail number I-GITR. I knew this milestone was approaching. I noticed I was a little low.

Runway

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. On approach to a stopover in Baltimore, the helicopter encountered a drizzle that turned to light rain. Erickson, who was accompanied by a passenger, Captain W.J.

Airplanes

AV Web

JULY 1, 2025

In reality, they’re far easier to prang and the right instruction teaches a very different approach to landing them compared to heavier birds. The better approach is flying it on like an ultralight—carrying power all the way into the flare. Poke around the typical LSA maintenance hangar and you’ll see broken pieces.

Gross Weight

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

Vintage Aviation News

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Famously, RAF fighters bravely pursued the V1s on their approach to London. They were guided by their own on-board gyroscope systems and by four external rudders on their tail fins. Of over 10,000 V1s launched, approximately 9,251 were fired against London in an eighty-day campaign. 7,488 crossed the south coast of England.

Rudder

Plane and Pilot

JULY 1, 2025

John Espe Cruiser Buhl, Idaho/Injuries: None NTSB Report: WPR23LA29 The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing, he encountered a gusting tail wind. The pilot applied right rudder in an attempt to correct this, resulting in a ground loop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Density Altitude

Flying Magazine

JUNE 12, 2025

Its twin-tail design and bubble canopy have always turned heads, but pilots value the airplane just as much for its forgiving handling, light controls, and unique design philosophy that originally did away with rudder pedals altogether. While some models have since been modified, the spirit of simplicity remains.

Avionics Master Switch

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 15, 2025

(Nigel Hitchman) The story of the Breguet Deux-Ponts begins even before WWII, when Breguet Aviation began design work on the concept for a large four engine transport with two decks for passengers called the Breguet 760, which was based on the wings and tail assembly of the Breguet 730 flying boat.

Tail

Vintage Aviation News

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Luckily, he and his crew had earlier spotted an unmarked airfield and made an approach for it. This new nose section was constructed by volunteers Roar Henriksem, Siegfried Hernes and Harald Egge, and has been refitted to the fuselage, whose fabric had been doped, along with the fabric on the wing and tail surfaces.

Aileron

Photographic Logbook

JUNE 29, 2025

I departed the Williamson-Sodus Airport solo at 8:00 am and picked up my instrument clearance in the air from a Rochester Approach controller with a familiar voice. Allentown approach re-cleared me to Delaware Coastal from my present position via East Texas (ETX), Victor 29, Smyrna (ENO, just north of Dover AFB), then direct.

Runway

World Airline News

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday issued urgent safety recommendations to The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration in response to the potential for a jammed or restricted rudder control system on some 737 airplanes. The NTSB is investigating a Feb. operators to do so until replacements are available.

Rudder

Fear of Landing

JUNE 28, 2024

CABRI G2 SERVICE LETTER 12-001 Yaw control in approach It is recommended to keep this letter with the Flight Manual. The service letter goes on to explain that the Cabri G2’s Fenestron tail rotor requires immediate and significant right pedal input to counteract the yaw movements, especially during low-speed manouevres.

Rudder

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

More right rudder!!” The airplane rudder is one of the most misunderstood of the primary flight controls. Yet the rudder is one of the most important and one of the most under-utilized. The rudder’s most important function is controlling the yaw of the aircraft, which moves the nose of the plane left and right.

Rudder

Air Facts

JULY 15, 2024

I could turn tail, but things were not much better back further west. So I decided to try the approach, and see how it felt. A low approach couldn’t break anything. I approach using the wing low method. I approach using the wing low method in a crosswind. What to do? I have flown Mooneys a lot and a low wing helps.

Crosswind

Flying Magazine

MAY 14, 2024

However, as the 1980s approached, so did the end of the T-37’s projected life cycle, and military leaders determined a more modern replacement was needed. It fulfilled primary trainer duties for more than 20 years and was modified to serve as a light ground attack aircraft in the form of the A-37 Dragonfly.

Horizontal Stabilizer

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 18, 2024

What you do is you sit up high for takeoff and as you add power and the tail comes up almost immediately, very quickly. ” Bristol Bulldog at Tillamook Airport After a short time in the air, Storo circled around to approach Tillamook Airport setting up for landing. It’s the rudder that is doing everything.

Crosswind

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 27, 2025

This article dives into the most prevalent landing errors, shedding light on why they occur and how they can sneak into even the most carefully executed approaches. As the airplane contacts the ground, the tail will be forced down very rapidly by the back-elevator pressure and by inertia acting downward on the tail.

Airplanes

Vintage Aviation News

JULY 19, 2024

After a short flight, Johnson entered the pattern for his first approach. Standing on the port side of the deck adjacent to the arresting wires was the Landing Signal Officer (LSO), who carefully observed Johnson’s approach. Johnson had just 388.5 hours total time, 57 of which were in Corsairs. We had to do some welding on that.

Tail

Air Facts

MARCH 26, 2025

Those familiar phrases more right rudder, watch your airspeed, flare, flare, flare! But as I banked into my final approach, my heart sank. I did the worst thing possible and tried to lose altitude by steepening my approach. The aircraft had sustained little damage the tail tie-down was knocked off and no one had been hurt.

Knot

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 2, 2024

This system includes modes for: roll pitch heading vertical speed altitude hold approach These modes allow for a steady rate of descent, ascent, and consistent speed and altitude ranges. 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.

Knot

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

Air Facts

JANUARY 29, 2025

To get a little better view approaching the threshold I leaned to my left and stretched up to maybe see a little more of the runway. The approach and touch down were normal. As the aircraft began to slow and the tail wheel contacted the runway and the aircraft began to drift slightly to the right.

Runway

Air

MAY 21, 2025

For landing, it means a shorter landing roll and a slower approach speed over the ground, offering enhanced control. For landing, it increases your groundspeed on approach and extends the landing distance. Requires great expertise at low altitudes (take-off, approach and landing), where there is less room for manoeuvre.

Crosswind

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Just to be clear, although I avoid flying in “hard” IFR, all of my IFR practice includes approaches to minimums, go-arounds, and holding patterns—just in case. I lamented that there was no tail tie-down until I remembered that I had brought three welded rebar tie-downs and a heavy hammer to drive them in.

Weather

Aerotime

JULY 19, 2024

The aircraft was powered by three General Electric CF6 turbofan engines, with one mounted under each wing and a third located above the rear fuselage in the base of the tail. On scanning the engine instruments, it quickly became apparent that the number two tail-mounted engine had failed.

Runway

Vintage Aviation News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

Conveniently for Pepsi, the aircraft has already left the factory with a white and blue scheme, so the Stinson was painted with the company’s logos on the front and rear portions of the fuselage and a bottle was painted on the rudder. On the rear fuselage the slogan “A Nickel Drink – Worth A Dime” was painted under the Pepsi-Cola logo.

Firewall

Air Facts

OCTOBER 7, 2024

It was a beefed up, militarized version of the Beechcraft Bonanza with a narrowed fuselage and conventional tail, seating two pilots in tandem cockpits with controls and indicators configured similarly to tactical aircraft of the period. Dropping like an inverted dart tail first, Morris, from his aft cockpit perch exclaimed,“Wheeeee!”

Cockpit

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

Learn to avoid common mistakes during approach, roundout, touchdown, and rollout. We have two main challenges when performing crosswind landings: Staying aligned with the extended centerline on the approach. Staying Aligned on the Approach Crosswinds try to “push” the aircraft off the approach course.

Crosswind

Plane and Pilot

MAY 28, 2025

The next item on the list was a thorough walkaround to ensure the floats, water rudders, and cables were all in operational order. Rather than using a combination of power and rudder to steer the aircraft on the ground, I was more so relying on power and heel brakes to get to where I was going. Ah, a Cub after all, I thought.

Rudder