Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

Have you ever seen an airplane with no tail and no vertical fin, but with just a sleek wing? They prove that with the right aerodynamic tricks, you dont need a tail to fly. A tailless aircraft may still have a fuselage and a vertical tail (fin and rudder). How does the tail do this? Ever wondered how it stays balanced?

Tail

Pilot Institute

JULY 11, 2025

For most aircraft with highly cambered wings or thick profiles, airflow accelerates over the top of the wing. The problem is that the tail itself might be in trouble. They couldn’t pull out because the tail wasn’t generating enough force in the high Mach regime. It’s not just the tail that experiences control issues.

True Airspeed

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The asymmetry between the top and bottom surface of the wing is called wing camber. The downward movement of the aileron increases the asymmetry and, therefore, the camber while raising the aileron reduces the wing camber. Most of the ailerons mass lies behind the hinge, making it tail-heavy. What Is Aircraft Stability?

Aileron

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

One is the upper wing surfaces curvature compared to the lower surface, called wing camber. High camber generally promotes more airflow deflection, thanks to something called Bernoullis Principle. However, its even possible to generate lift from a wing with symmetrical upper and lower surfaces, that is, without camber.

Torque