Remove Center of Gravity Remove Rudder Remove Weather
article thumbnail

Examining over 100 years of flight automation and the history of the autopilot

Aerotime

Flying for extended periods of time at the controls of a basic aircraft was hard physical work, and poor weather or mechanical issues could also add to pilot fatigue on longer flights. As the French mechanic slid himself along the wing of the aircraft, shifting its center of gravity, the aircraft became unbalanced.

article thumbnail

We Fly: Epic E1000 AX

Flying Magazine

We consider that reassuring when the weather becomes turbulent. Over the years we’ve flown a lot of aircraft with “aft-tending” centers of gravity—if you filled the seats, you were outside the aft CG limit, and the rear seats in six-place airplanes were unusable. With a 15.4-1 Recurrent training is annual.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

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). The Weather Vane It mostly comes from the vertical stabilizer (fin) and the sides of the fuselage behind the center of gravity. To help you understand this, imagine a weather vane with the CG as the pivot.

article thumbnail

Approachable Excellence

Plane and Pilot

Depressions in the vertical stabilizer and rudder, as well as stabilator skins and ailerons, all help increase panel stiffness while allowing less under-skin structure. I think twice of all the times we’ve flown, we’ve woken up and said, you know what, the weather’s not working out, let’s just drive it, he says.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

When Mr. Piper Dipped a Toe in the Turbine Waters

Photographic Logbook

Weather Uncertainty and Multiple Choice Routing Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 01 Jun 2025 N21481 SDC (Sodus, NY) - LHV (Lock Haven, PA) - SDC 2.9 Weather Uncertainty and Multiple Choice Routing Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 01 Jun 2025 N21481 SDC (Sodus, NY) - LHV (Lock Haven, PA) - SDC 2.9

article thumbnail

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

Pilot Institute

But don’t hang up your headset just because the weather isn’t perfect. 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.