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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

A tailless aircraft may still have a fuselage and a vertical tail (fin and rudder). A tailless airplane is one where everything needed to fly, like lift, control, and stability, is built into the main wing. The Weather Vane It mostly comes from the vertical stabilizer (fin) and the sides of the fuselage behind the center of gravity.

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Everything You Need To Know About Ailerons

Pilot Institute

Key Takeaways Ailerons control the aircrafts roll by adjusting lift on each wing. Adverse yaw is a side effect of aileron use, countered by rudder input. The aircrafts wing is able to generate lift due to its shape. Why does this increase the lift? If the flow on both sides is symmetrical, the wing wont produce any lift.

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What Is a Flat Spin?

Pilot Institute

PARE: Power idle, Ailerons neutral, Rudder opposite, Elevator forward. An aft center of gravity increases flat spin risk. 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.

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The Role of Newton’s Third Law in Aviation

Pilot Institute

Lift is the force that aircraft use to counter gravity. Newton’s Third Law is one of the key laws of physics that explains lift. Lets see what Newtons Third Law is, and why we need it to understand lift. This principle is fundamental in generating lift, thrust, and maneuverability, allowing aircraft to fly.

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What Is a Dutch Roll, and Is It Dangerous?

Pilot Institute

The outer wing generates more lift than the inner wing since it’s temporarily moving faster. Extra lift makes the wing rise. Increased lift on the raised wing immediately creates more induced drag. Placing the center of gravity ahead of the aircraft’s center of lift improves longitudinal stability.

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Mastering Crosswind Landings (A Step-by-Step Guide)

Pilot Institute

Your ailerons and rudder will be neutral once you’re in the crab position. We use the rudder to align the aircraft’s longitudinal axis with the centerline. Simultaneously, we apply ailerons opposite the rudder input. The pilot needs to hold aileron and rudder deflection the entire time.

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Today in Aviation History: First flight of the Short Sunderland Flying Boat

Vintage Aviation News

These enhancements, along with an increased center of gravity adjustment through the addition of forward ballast, ensured that the Sunderland could effectively defend itself while maintaining balance during flight. The nose turret, initially equipped with a Vickers K machine gun, was later switched to a Browning machine gun.