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Principles of flight

5.7 Stability

An important characteristic of an aircraft is its stability - that is, its ability to

return to a certain flight attitude from which it has been temporarily forced out

of for one reason or another - e.g. by a gust of wind.

REMEMBER:

The further the center of gravity is moved back,

the less stability there will be,

and

the worse the chances of recovering from a stall and spin.

5.7.1 Types of stability

There are basically two types of stability:

- static stability
- dynamic stability

5.7.1.1 Static stability

Static stability is the aircraft's initial tendency to counteract a change in its state.

Static stability depends on the aircraft's position of its center of gravity and

center of pressure.

5.7.1.2 Dynamic stability

If the aircraft is brought out of stability, its dynamic properties are decisive for

whether it will correct itself or the pilot must make a correction.

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Flight Theory PPL(A)(UL)/LAPL Henning Andersen, Midtjysk Flyveskole© marts 2026 486