Page 15 - Understanding Flight

CH01_Anderson PFS2 7/25/01 8:55 AM Page 2

2 CHAPTER ONE

rudder. The elevators are used to adjust, or control, the pitch (nose
up/down attitude) of the airplane. The elevators are connected to the
control wheel or stick of the airplane and are moved by the forward
and backward motion of the control. On some airplanes the entire
horizontal stabilizer is the elevator, as shown in Figure 1.2. This is
called a stabilator. The rudder is used to make small directional
changes and in turns. Two pedals on the floor operate the rudder,
used to provide directional control.
Most airplanes have small hinged sections on the trailing edge of
the elevators and sometimes on the rudder called trim tabs as shown
in Figure 1.2. These tabs move in the opposite direction to the control

Vertical Left aileron
Horizontal
U UU stabilizer
Rudder stabilizer
Flaps
Elevator Left wing

Wing strut
Fuselage
Right aileron

Main
Landing Nose gear
Right wing
Gear
Fig. 1.1. Main components of an airplane.

Horizontal
stabilizer
Stabilator

Trim tab
Trim tab

Elevator
Fig. 1.2. The empennage.