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Which flight control surface controls angle of attack?
When an airplane is flying, it has a good deal of forward speed and airflow over all of its surfaces. Control movements must be understood in terms of this airflow and its effects. The elevator controls the Angle of Attack [AOA] of the wings, and subsequently the pitch.
Which control surface controls the yaw attitude of an airplane?
rudder
The rudder is a fundamental control surface which is typically controlled by pedals rather than at the stick. It is the primary means of controlling yaw—the rotation of an airplane about its vertical axis. The rudder may also be called upon to counter-act the adverse yaw produced by the roll-control surfaces.
How are flight control surfaces lose their authority?
ALL flight control surfaces lose authority at lower speeds and/or in less dense air (heat/altitude). In most cases, this can be compensated somewhat by increasing the deflection until the max is reached. Some aircraft with fly-by-wire can compensate for the ‘sloppy’ controls somewhat by doing the increase in deflection automatically.
What happens if the AoA of a plane is not lowered?
As the AOA increases, lift as well as drag increases; however, above a wing’s critical AOA, the flow of air separates from the upper surface and backfills, burbles and eddies, which reduces lift and increases drag. This condition is a stall, which can lead to loss of control if the AOA is not reduced.
Why was the development of flight controls so important?
Early efforts at fixed-wing aircraft design succeeded in generating sufficient lift to get the aircraft off the ground, but once aloft, the aircraft proved uncontrollable, often with disastrous results. The development of effective flight controls is what allowed stable flight.
How does a flight control surface work on an MD-80?
Some aircraft, such as an MD-80, use a servo tab within the elevator surface to aerodynamically move the main surface into position. The direction of travel of the control tab will thus be in a direction opposite to the main control surface. It is for this reason that an MD-80 tail looks like it has a ‘split’ elevator system.