Science plane questions

Question

What control surfaces does a pilot use to turn the plane?

how do they work?

what is YAW?

how does Newton’s 3 laws apply to flight of a plane ?

Answer 1

There are three primary control surfaces for an airplane. The elevator (controls pitch on the lateral axis), the ailerons (controls bank on the longitudinal axis), and the rudder (controls yaw on the vertical axis). Us pilots use the ailerons and rudder to turn the airplane.

These control surfaces work by deflecting the oncoming air flow. The ailerons in a normal Cessna 172 move differentially. Meaning when you turn the yoke to the left, the left aileron on the wing deflects up (spoiling the airflow on the wing), and the right wing aileron deflects down (increasing lift on that wing). This is how the airplane is able to bank.

The rudder controls the vertical axis (turns the nose side to side). This is called yaw. This flight control is located on the vertical stabilizer on the airplane.

Newton's third law is one of two ways the airplane wings creates lift. The wings are at an angle to the relative wind (called Angle of Attack). And so the air hits the bottom of the wing causing the air to deflect downwards (action), which also causes the wing to be deflected upwards (reaction).