AviationChief.Com
  • Home
  • Learn to Fly
    • PPL
    • Instrument Rating
    • CPL
    • Multi Engine Rating
    • ATPL
    • Rule of Thumbs
    • A Little Deep
    • Downloads >
      • Forms
      • Regulations
      • Miscelaneous
  • Pilot Psychology
  • Accident Reports
  • News
  • Blog
  • Write for Us
  • Gallery
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Controls

Introduction
The principle structure of an aircraft consists of:
  • Fuselage: main structural unit
  • Wings: airfoils to produce lift
  • Flight Control Surfaces:
    • Primary: ailerons, elevator, rudders
    • Secondary: movable trim tabs located on the primary flight control surfaces
    • Auxiliary: wing flaps, spoilers, speed brakes and slats
Picture
Trim
  • Trim refers to employing adjustable aerodynamic devices on the aircraft to adjust forces so the pilot does not have to manually hold pressure on the controls
  • This is done either by trim tabs (small movable surfaces on the control surface) or by moving the neutral position of the entire control surface all together
    • Trim tabs are likely to be on the aileron, elevator and rudder
  • Trimming is accomplished by deflecting the tab in the direction opposite to that in which the primary control surface must be held
  • The force of the airflow striking the tab causes the main control surface to be deflected to a position that corrects the unbalanced condition of the aircraft
  • Because the trim tabs use airflow to function, trim is a function of speed. Any change in speed results in the need to re-trim the aircraft
  • An aircraft properly trimmed in pitch seeks to return to the original speed before the change due to its stability
  • Trimming is a constant task as soon as you change any power setting, airspeed, altitude, or configuration
  • Proper trimming decreases pilot workload allowing for attention to be diverted elsewhere, especially important for instrument flying
  • In the pattern, if you have trimmed appropriately, you shouldn't have to use back stick at all, which should also prevent you from exceeding approach speed/on-speed
Page Under Contruction
Subscribe to Newsletter

Keep The Blue Side Up

Fair Use Notice
Proudly Namibian
​© 2018 AviationChief.Com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  • Home
  • Learn to Fly
    • PPL
    • Instrument Rating
    • CPL
    • Multi Engine Rating
    • ATPL
    • Rule of Thumbs
    • A Little Deep
    • Downloads >
      • Forms
      • Regulations
      • Miscelaneous
  • Pilot Psychology
  • Accident Reports
  • News
  • Blog
  • Write for Us
  • Gallery
  • About Us
  • Contact Us