Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

How does it turn or climb without the usual control surfaces? Despite their lack of horizontal control surfaces, tailless aircraft are designed to be stable. A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. Directional (yawing) stability from the vertical stabilizer.

Tail

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

These control surfaces dictate the aircraft’s roll, and this allows it to bank smoothly through turns or even recover from turbulence. Have you ever wondered how pilots keep control at high speeds, during stalls, or even when systems fail? Key Takeaways Ailerons control the aircrafts roll by adjusting lift on each wing.

Aileron

Pilot Institute

JUNE 12, 2025

The design adds weight, complexity, and maintenance needs. As you reach high speeds, especially near or above the speed of sound, you can then sweep the wings back to reduce drag. They delay the formation of shock waves that cause wave drag. You can adjust the wings using a manual control in the cockpit.

Weight-Shift-Control

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

Aircraft Weight and Limitations An aircraft’s weight affects inertia and stopping distance. The POH lists landing distances for specific gross weights. Smaller aircraft may only have short field landing distances for maximum gross weight. This gives you a safe buffer on the stall speed and plenty of time to stabilize.

Weight-Shift-Control

Pilot Institute

JULY 12, 2024

Watch out for some common mistakes, such as over-controlling and reacting incorrectly to visual cues. The easiest way to achieve this is by flying a stabilized approach. So, what is a stabilized approach? A stabilized approach requires the pilot to establish and maintain a constant angle glidepath towards an aiming point.

Descent