Descent Drag Tail 
Pilot's Life Blog
JANUARY 12, 2025
Understanding the Basics of Flight Principles of Flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag Flying a plane for the first time requires a basic understanding of the forces that make flight possible. Thrust, produced by the engines, moves the plane forward, while drag, or air resistance, slows it down.
Flying Magazine
JULY 22, 2025
The deicing boots seem to mate so smoothly with the wings and tail that the only way to tell where that happens is that they are different colors. We experimented with varying descents from an emergency descent profile—from coming down at nearly 10,000 fpm to seeing if we could cure being high and fast on an arrival procedure.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Pilot Institute
FEBRUARY 20, 2025
The problem is that the aileron can only be deflected to a point after which the drag becomes significant. Most of the ailerons mass lies behind the hinge, making it tail-heavy. Tail-heavy ailerons droop downwards when they arent being pulled by the control system. potentially reverting the aileron back into a tail-heavy state.
Pilot Institute
APRIL 12, 2025
The reaction in the form of increased thrust allows the aircraft to overcome drag and accelerate or climb. 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 ).
Pilot Institute
FEBRUARY 15, 2025
In seconds, an aircraft can be forced into an uncontrollable descent, leaving you with barely any time to react. An aircraft might experience a brief lift due to a strong headwind, only to be forced into an uncontrolled descent as the wind suddenly reverses. A massive explosion followed, and the tail section skidded backward.
Vintage Aviation News
FEBRUARY 11, 2025
Around this time, the USAAF was also developing its first jet fighters, but knew that all-jet aircraft at this time were short-ranged and burned fuel quicker than propeller-driven aircraft, and so the optimal design was to feature a propeller-driven engine in the front for long range performance and a jet engine in the tail for high speed in combat.
Plane and Pilot
FEBRUARY 20, 2025
Its connected, along with a safety weak link, to the tail of the airplane. With skill (and some luck) the hook catches, the plane roars up to not drag the fabric along the ground, and the whole assembly is hoisted into the air. Dropping the banner removed its drag, but only pitching down would have escaped the stall.
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Let's personalize your content