Page 32 - Beginner's Guide to Aviation
P. 32
An aircraft during flight is controlled around 3 axes of rotation, think about it as an imaginary lines about which the aircraft rotates. These axes all have unique names! They are... longitudinal, lateral, and vertical and the point at which they intersect is the aircraft’s centre of gravity!
Each axis has a primary control surface that controls a unique motion as seen in the table below.
Pitching
Rolling/ Banking
Yawing
PRIMARY CONTROL SURFACES
AXIS
motion
Aileron
Elevator
Rudder
Lateral Roll/Bank
Longitudinal Pitch
Vertical Yaw
Rotation of motion about one axis may cause unintentional rotation about another axis. Hence, pilots have to use multiple control surfaces, both primary and secondary at once to maintain coordinated flight.
