5-1

Flight controls
Introduction
This chapter focuses on flight control systems
that a pilot uses to control the flight forces, and
the direction and attitude of the aircraft. It is worth noting that the
flight control systems and their characteristics can
varies greatly depending on the type of aircraft flown.
The most basic designs of the flight control system
they are mechanical and date back to the first airplanes.
They operate with a variety of mechanical parts, such as
bars, cables, pulleys, and sometimes chains to transmit the
flight control forces from the cockpit to the
control surfaces. Mechanical control systems
Flight instruments are still used today in small aircraft.
of general category and sports category where the
aerodynamic forces are not excessive. [Figure 5-1]
 5-2

control feedbacks to the pilot through means

simulated.
Current research at the Dryden Flight Research
Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
of Space (NASA) includes intelligent systems of
flight control (IFCS). The aim of this project is
develop a flight control system based on
an adaptive neural network. Applied directly to
the feedback errors of the control system
in flight, the IFCS provides adjustments to enhance the
aircraft performance in normal flight, as well as
with system failures. With the IFCS, a pilot is capable
to maintain control and safely land an aircraft
Figure 5-1. Mechanical flight control system.
that has suffered the failure of a control surface or
damage to the fuselage. It also improves the capacity of the
As aviation and airplane designers evolve mission, increases flight reliability and safety, and
they learned more about aerodynamics, the industry it eases the pilot's workload.
produced larger and faster airplanes. For lo
so, the aerodynamic forces acting on the Today's airplanes use a variety of systems
control surfaces increased significantly flight control. For example, some airplanes in the
exponential. To make the control force manageable sports pilot category is based on control by
required by pilots, aerospace engineers weight transfer to fly, while the
they designed more complex systems. At first, Balloons use a standard burning technique. The
hydromechanical designs, which consist of a circuit helicopters use a cyclic to tilt the rotor in
mechanical and a hydraulic circuit were used for the desired address along with a bus to
reduce complexity, weight, and limitations of the manipulate the rotor pitch and anti-torque pedals to
mechanical flight control systems.[Figure 5-2] control the yaw or turn. [Figure 5-3]

Figure 5-2. Flight control system

hydromechanical. Figure 5-3. Flight control system of
When airplanes became more sophisticated, the helicopter.
control surfaces started to activate by For additional information about the systems of
electric motors, digital computers, or cables of flight control, consult the appropriate manual for the
optical fiber. The so-called 'fly-by-wire' is a system of information related to control systems
flight control that replaces the physical connection between flight and the characteristics of certain types of
the pilot controls and the control surfaces of aircraft.
flight with an electric interface. Also, in some
large and fast planes, the controls are enhanced Flight Control Systems
by systems powered hydraulically or electrically. Flight controls
Both the cable car flight and with the controls The flight control systems of aircraft
enhanced, the feeling of the sensation of reaction are made up of primary and secondary systems. The
 5-3

winglets, the elevator or depth rudder (or The design features limit the amount of
stabilator), and the rudder constitute the deflection of flight control surfaces. By
primary control system and are required to example, control mechanisms for detention can be
control an airplane safely during flight. The incorporate in the flight control unions, or limit
flaps, leading edge devices, spoilers, and the movement of the control lever and/or pedals of the
compensatory systems make up the system of steering wheel. The purpose of these design limits is to
secondary control and improve the characteristics of prevent the pilot from inadvertently over-controlling
airplane performance or relief for the pilot of the forces and overloaded the plane during normal maneuvers.
excessive control.
A well-designed airplane is stable and easy to control.
Primary flight controls during normal maneuvers. The surfaces of
Flight control systems are designed control causes movement along the three axes of
carefully to provide an answer rotation. The types of stability that an airplane exhibits
suitable for controlling energy while allowing a they also refer to the three axes of rotation. [Figure
natural feel. At low speeds, the controls 5-4
they generally feel soft and slow, and the aircraft
Ailerons
respond slowly to the commands. At higher speeds
The ailerons control the roll around the axis
high, controls are becoming increasingly strict and the longitudinal. The ailerons are attached to the outside of the
The response of the plane is faster and more effective.
leading edge of each wing and move in the direction
The movement of any of the three surfaces opposite each other. The ailerons are connected
flight control surfaces (ailerons, rudder through cables, elbows, pulleys and/or push rods to a
depth or stabilator, or rudder direction), changes steering wheel or control lever.
the distribution of airflow and pressure over and Moving the steering wheel or control lever towards the
around the lift surface (profile
right causes the right wing to move towards
aerodynamic). These changes affect lift
up and the left wing moves down. The
and resistance produced by the combination
upward deflection of the right aileron decreases the
profile/control, and allows the pilot to control the aircraft
curvature resulting in a decrease in the
about its three axes of rotation.
support on the right wing. The deflection
corresponding downwards of the left aileron
increases the curvature that results in an increase of the
support on the left wing. Therefore, the greater
lift on the left wing and less lift
On the right wing, they make the plane turn to the right.
Adverse wink
Since the downward deflected flap produces more
sustenance as evidenced by the elevation of the wing,
also produces more resistance. This resistance
added to slightly slow down the wing. This results
in the bank (turn) of the airplane towards the wing that
experiences an increase in lift (and
resistance). From the pilot's perspective, the turn is
opposite to the direction of the roll. The adverse yaw is
result of the differential resistance and the slight one
difference in the speed of the left wing and
right.[Figure 5-5]
The adverse wink becomes more pronounced at low
speeds. At these lower speeds, the pressure
aerodynamics on control surfaces is low and are
required large movements of control for
maneuver the plane effectively. As a result, the
an increase in the deflection of the aileron causes an increase
Figure 5-4. Controls, movements, axes of from the adverse wink. The wink is especially
rotation and types of airplane stability. evident in large wingspan airplanes.
 5-4

In an attempt to reduce the effects of the yaw.

Conversely, manufacturers have designed four systems:
differential ailerons, frise-type ailerons, ailerons and
coupled rudders and flaps.
Differential ailerons
With differential ailerons, one aileron rises a
greater distance than what the other winglet is lowered for
a given movement of the control lever. This
produce an increase in wing resistance
descendant. The greatest resistance is obtained by deflecting
the aileron upward on the descending wing at an angle
greater than the downward flap on the rising wing. A
despite the adverse glance being reduced, it is not eliminated
completely.[Figure 5-6]

Figure 5-5. The adverse yaw is caused by the

greater resistance in the outer wing, which produces
greater support.
The steering wheel application is used for
counteract the adverse squint. The amount of control
the required steering is greater at low speeds, high
attack angles, and with large aileron deflections.
Like all control surfaces at low
speeds, the vertical stabilizer/rudder
becomes less effective, and magnifies the problems of
controls associated with adverse yaw. Figure 5-6. Differential aileron.

All turns are coordinated using the ailerons.

rudder, and elevator. The application of pressure on the aileron Frise Type Ailerons
With a frise type aileron, when pressure is applied to the
it is necessary to place the plane at the desired angle
from the alabeo, while the simultaneous application of control lever, the aileron that rises pivots over
pressure on the rudder is necessary to counteract the a misaligned hinge. This projects the edge of
resulting adverse turn. Furthermore, since it attack of the aileron in the airflow and creates drag.
This helps to balance the resistance created by the
requires more support during a turn than in flight
straight and leveled, the angle of attack (AOA) must be flap down on the opposite wing and reduce the yaw
increased by applying backward pressure adverse. [Figure 5-7]
in the elevator. The steeper the turn, the more The frise-type aileron also creates a slot so that
needs more pressure on the depth rudder. the air flows gently over the lowered spoiler,
making it more effective at high angles of attack. The
As the desired roll angle is set, frise-type ailerons can also be designed to
the pressure on the ailerons and the rudder must be function differentially. Like the spoiler
relaxed. This stops the increase in the angle of roll, differential, the frise-type wing does not eliminate yaw
because the control surfaces of the aileron and the rudder completely adverse. The coordinated application of
The address are in a neutral position and aligned. the steering wheel is still necessary as long as the
The pressure on the depth rudder must winglets.
maintain constant to maintain altitude. The output Coupled ailerons and rudder
the turn is similar to the entrance, except that the The coupled ailerons and the rudder are controls
flight controls are applied in the opposite direction. interconnected. This is achieved with springs.
The ailerons and the rudder are applied in the direction of interconnection flaps-rudder, which help to correct the
exit or towards the high wing. As the angle of resistance of the aileron automatically moving the
inclination decreases, the pressure on the elevator must the rudder is deflected at the same time as the ailerons.
stay relaxed to maintain altitude. For example, when the command moves to
 5-5

produce a roll to the left, the cable and the spring

the interconnection pulls forward the left pedal
enough to prevent the nose of the aircraft
turn to the right. The force applied to the steering wheel by
the springs can be canceled if it is necessary to slide the
aircraft.[Figure 5-8]

Figure 5-8. Coupled ailerons and rudder

Figure 5-7. Frise type ailerons.

Flaperones
Flaperons are a combination of flaps and ailerons.
In addition to controlling the lateral tilt angle of
an aircraft with conventional ailerons, the
flaps can be lowered together to function as if
they were flaps. The pilot has separate controls for
ailerons and flaps. To combine the requirements
separated from the pilot in this unique surface set
A control called aileron uses a mixer.
Many designs that incorporate flaps mount the
control surfaces separated from the wings for Figure 5-9. Flaperons on a Skystar Kitfox.
provide a smooth airflow at high angles of
attack and/or low speeds.[Figure 5-9] The rudder up position decreases the curvature of
elevator and creates a downward aerodynamic force,
what is greater than the normal force directed downwards
Depth rudder or Elevator that exists in straight and level flight. The global effect
The elevator controls the pitch makes the tail of the plane move downwards and the
about the lateral axis. Just like the ailerons in nose nodding upwards. The moment of nodding is
small planes, the elevator is connected to the produce around the center of gravity (CG). The
control column in the cockpit by a series the pitching moment force is determined by the
of mechanical connections. The backward movement distance between the CG and the horizontal tail surface,
from the control, move the elevator exit edge towards as well as by the aerodynamic efficiency of the surface
above. This is commonly known as 'rudder' horizontal delacola. Move the control lever towards
above."[Figure 5-10] forward has the opposite effect. In this case, the
 5-6

the curvature of the elevator increases, creating more pushing down the tail to help lift the
sustenance (less force tail down) on the nose.
horizontal stabilizer/elevator. This moves the tail
Since the controls in the airplanes are designed
upwards and tilts the nose downwards. Once
More, the pitching moment occurs about the center of gravity.
to make it necessary to increase the control forces
for a greater displacement of the control, the forces
necessary to raise the nose of a tailwheel aircraft
They are larger than those of a plane with a tail.
conventional. The longitudinal stability of an airplane
compensated is the same for both types of
configuration, but the pilot must be aware that the
required control forces are greater than low
speed during takeoffs, landings, or losses
than those of similarly sized aircraft equipped with
conventional colas.
T-tail aircraft also require
additional design considerations to counteract
the problem of bataneo. Since the weight of the
horizontal surfaces are at the top of the
vertical stabilizer, the moment arm created
causes large loads on the vertical stabilizer
Figure 5-10. The elevator is the primary control What can cause a blockage. Engineers must
to change the pitch of an aircraft. compensate for this by increasing the stiffness of the
As mentioned earlier when dealing the design of the vertical stabilizer, resulting in
stability, power, the thrust line, and the general in a weight increase regarding the designs of
position of the horizontal tail surfaces in the conventional colas.
sailing are factors in the effectiveness of the elevator for When flying at a very high AOA with low speed and
control the pitching. For example, the surfaces of a delayed CG, the T-tail aircraft can be
horizontal lines can be joined near the part susceptible to a serious loss. In a loss, the flow
lower part of the vertical stabilizer, at a midpoint, or the air over the horizontal stabilizer is covered
in a higher position, like in the T-tail design. due to the disturbed airflow from the wings and fuselage.
T-shaped queue Under these circumstances, the control of the elevator or
In a T configuration queue, the elevator is by stabilator could be reduced, making it difficult the
above most of the effects of the current recovery of loss. It should be noted that a CG
descending from the helix as well as the airflow Being late is often a contributing factor to these.
around the fuselage and/or wings during the conditions incidents, as similar recovery problems
flight norms. The operation of the elevators in they also meet with tail-dragger planes
this laminar airflow allows control movements that conventional with a delayed CG.[Figure 5-11]
they are consistent throughout most of the
flight regimes. The T-tail design has been made
very popular in many light and large aircraft
size, especially those that have mounted the
engines at the rear of the fuselage because of the configuration
from the T tail, keep the exhaust gas tail away from the
engines. Seaplanes and amphibious planes have
small queues in T in order to maintain the
horizontal surfaces as far from the water as possible
possible. An additional benefit is the reduction of the
vibration and noise inside the aircraft.
At low speeds, the tail elevator of an airplane
T must be moved a number of degrees greater to
raise the nose a given amount that a tail aircraft
conventional. This is because the tail aircraft Figure 5-11. Aircraft with T-tail design in a
conventional has the downward current of the blade AOA high and CG delayed
 5-7

Given that the flight to AOA is high with a low speed and together with the reduced landing speed, makes the
a delayed CG position can be dangerous, less effective elevator.
many airplanes have systems to compensate for this
As this argument demonstrates, pilots must
situation. The systems range from tops in the...
understand and follow the proper procedures of
control surfaces up to springs (shock absorbers)
load, particularly with respect to the position of
under the elevator. A spring of the elevator downwards
CG. More information about the aircraft load, thus
help to lower the nose of the aircraft to avoid a as weight and balance, is included in the Weight and chapter
Loss caused by the rearward CG position. This
Balance.
loss occurs because a plane is correct
the compensator must fly with the elevator in position Stabilator
down, forcing the tail up and the nose down. In As mentioned in the Structure Chapter of
this unstable condition, if the plane encounters Aircraft, a stabilator is essentially a
turbulence and it becomes even slower, the fin horizontal stabilizer of a piece that pivots from
the compensator no longer places the elevator in position a hinge at a central point. When the column of
down the nose. The elevator then aligns, and the control takes it back, raises the output edge of the
the aircraft's nose rises, resulting in a possible stabilator, raising the nose of the plane. Pushing the
loss. forward control column lowers the edge of
The elevator shaft down produces a load stabilator output and lower the nose of the aircraft.
mechanics in the elevator, causing it to move to Because the stabilator pivots around a
nose position downwards if it is not balanced otherwise. central hinge, are extremely sensitive to the
The compensation fin balances the spring control movements and aerodynamic loads. The
to compensate the elevator. When the compensator is anti-servo tabs are incorporated at the trailing edge to
becomes ineffective, the spring takes the elevator to a decrease sensitivity. They move in the same
nose position down. The nose of the plane descends, direction that the stabilator. This causes an increase in
speed increases, and a loss is evident.[Figure the force required to move the stabilator, which it
5-12 makes it less prone to a control movement
excessive. Furthermore, a counterweight is incorporated.
normally in front of the main beam. The
counterweight can be projected in the tail or it can be
incorporate in the front part of the tips of the
stabilator.[Figure 5-13]

Figure 5-12. When the aerodynamic efficiency of

the horizontal tail surface is inadequate
due to a delayed CG the lowering spring of
elevator can be used to provide a load
mechanism that lowers the nose. Figure 5-13. The stabilator is a surface of
The elevator must also have sufficient authority. horizontal tail of a piece that pivots from a
to keep the nose of the aircraft up during the central point.
pickup on landing. In this case, a CG Duck
being ahead of schedule can cause a problem. During the The canard design uses the concept of two surfaces
landing, the power is generally reduced, the of lift, with the canard functioning as a
that reduces the airflow over the tail section. This, horizontal stabilizer located in front of the wings
mainly. Indeed, the canard is a profile
 5-8

aerodynamic similar to the horizontal surface of a increases with speed; therefore, large
design with conventional tail. The difference is deflections at low speeds and small deflections
that the canard creates lift and keeps the nose high speeds may be required for
above, in opposition to the rear tail design that provide the desired reaction. In propeller planes,
exert downward force on the tail to prevent it from Any wake on the rudder increases its effectiveness.
nose tilts downwards. [Figure 5-14]

Figure 5-14. The Piaggio P180 includes a design

variable arrow duck, which provides stability
longitudinal along the lateral axis.
The canard design dates back to the era of the pioneers. Figure 5-15. Effect of pressure on the pedal
of aviation, especially used in the Wright left.
Flyer. Recently, the canard configuration has
regained popularity and is appearing in the Queue in V
new airplanes. The canard design includes two types: one The V-tail design uses two tail surfaces.
with a horizontal surface of approximately the inclined to perform the same functions as the
same size as a normal rear design, surfaces of an elevator and aileron configuration
and the other with a surface of the same size conventional. Fixed surfaces act as
approximate and aerodynamic profile of the rear wing horizontal and vertical stabilizers.[Figure 5-16]
known as a tandem wing configuration.
Theoretically, the canard is considered more efficient.
because the use of the horizontal surface to help
sustaining the weight of the aircraft should cause us less
resistance for a given amount of
sustentation.
Steering wheel
The steering wheel controls the movement of the
aircraft around its vertical axis. This movement
it is called a wink. Just like the other surfaces of
primary control, the steering wheel is a surface
articulated mobile on a fixed surface, in this case to the
vertical stabilizer, or rudder. Moving the pedal
left or right the steering wheel is controlled. Figure 5-16. Beechcraft Bonanza V35.
When the rudder deviates in the airflow, a force The moving surfaces, which are usually called
horizontal is exerted in the opposite direction.[Figure 5- elevators-timons connect through a
15 special link that allows the commanders to move
both surfaces at the same time. On the other hand, the
Pressing the left pedal, the steering moves to
the displacement of the rudder pedals moves the
the left. This alters the airflow around the
differentially surface, providing of this
vertical stabilizer/rudder, and creates lift
directional control mode.
side that moves the tail to the right and turns the nose
of the plane to the left. The effectiveness of the rudder
 5-9

When both the rudder and elevator controls are greater increase in the lift coefficient
driven by the pilot, a mixing mechanism of maximum (CL-MAXthan the simple or split flap. While
control moves each surface the appropriate amount. The there are many types of slotted flaps, the aircraft
Control system for the V queue is more complex large sizes usually have double slotted flaps and
than required for a conventional queue. Additionally, up to triples. This allows for the maximum increase in the
the V-tail design is more susceptible to tending towards resistance without the airflow over the flaps being
Dutch balance than a conventional tail, and the separate and destroy the support they produce.
reduction of total resistance is minimal.
Secondary Flight Controls
The secondary flight control systems
divided into: a) High-lift devices (flaps, devices
a) leading edge, b) air brakes (spoilers), c)
Compensators.
Flaps
Flaps are the most prominent high-lift devices.
common surfaces used in airplanes. These surfaces,
that are connected to the leading edge of the wing, increase
both the lift and the induced drag for
any determined AOA. The flaps allow for a
compromise between high cruising speed and low
landing speed, because they can be extended
when necessary, and retracted in the wing structure
when it is not needed. There are four common types of
simple, intrados, slotted, and Fowler flaps.
[Figure 5-17]
The simple flap is the simplest of the four types.
Increase the curvature of the wing profile, resulting in a
significant increase in the lift coefficient
(CL) to a given AOA. At the same time, it increases
considerably the resistance and moves the center of
backward profile pressure (CP), resulting in a
moment of nodding down.
The intrados flap is deployed from the surface
lower part of the profile (intrados) and produces an increase
slightly greater in lift than the simple flap.
More resistance is created due to the air pattern.
turbulence produced behind the wing profile. When they are
fully extended, both the simple flap and the
intrados produce a lot of resistance with little
additional support.
The most popular flap in airplanes today is the flap
grooving. Variations of this design are used for
small aircraft, as well as for the large ones.
slotted flaps increase the lift coefficient
significantly more than simple flaps or
divided. In small planes, the hinge is located
under the bottom surface of the flap, and when the flap
Figure 5-17. Five common types of flaps.
it descends, a conduit forms between the wing and the edge of
flap attack. When the slotted flap is lowered, air from Fowler flaps are a type of slot flap. This
high energy from the lower surface is conducted to the the design of the flap not only changes the curvature of the wing, but
upper surface of the flap. The high-energy air from the which also increases the surface area of the wings. In
the slot accelerates the boundary layer of the upper surface and place to turn down in a hinge, it slides
delays the separation of the airflow, providing backwards on tracks. In the first part of its
a major CLTherefore, the slotted flap produces a extension, increases resistance very little, but
 5-10

greatly increases the lift since attack, each slat is kept together at the attack edge
it increases both the area and the curvature. As it progresses from the wing due to the high pressure of the air impact in the
as the extension continues, the flap moves down. leading edge of the wing. By increasing the AOA, the area
During the last part of its journey, the flap increases high pressure moves backward beneath the
the resistance with a small additional increase of the lower surface of the wing, allowing the slats
sustentation. advances. Some slats, however, are operated by
the pilot and can be deployed at any AOA.
Edge attack devices
Deploying a slat allows the air under the wing
High-lift devices can also be
apply to the leading edge of the wing profile. The most common types
flow over the upper surface of the wing, delaying the
separation of the air flow (just like the slot).
common are the fixed slots or slots, movable slats,
leading edge flaps, ycuffs (extensions on the The leading edge flaps (Krueger), like the flaps
attack border). [Figure 5-18] from the edge of the exit, they are used to increase both the
CL-MAX like the curvature of the wings. This type of
attack edge device is frequently used
in combination with trailing edge flaps and can
reduce the nose-down pitching produced by these
last. As happens with the trailing edge flaps,
a small increase in the leading edge flaps
increases lift to a much greater degree than
the resistance. When a greater amount is extended
from the flaps, the resistance increases at a rate greater than the
sustenance.
Cuffs are extensions of the leading edge, and like
the leading-edge and trailing-edge flaps are used to
increase so much CL-MAX like the curvature of the wings. A
difference between leading edge flaps and trailing edge flaps,
they are fixed aerodynamic devices. In most of
the edge of attack sleeves extend the
attacking edge down and forward. This makes the
airflow adheres better to the extradós at larger sizes
attack angles, which decrease speed
loss of an airplane. The fixed nature of the cuffs of
attack edge entails a penalty in the
maximum cruise speed, but recent advances in
Design and technology have reduced that penalty.
Spoilers
Found in many gliders and airplanes
commercial high resilience devices called
spoilers are deployed from the wings to eliminate the
airflow, reducing lift and increasing
the resistance. In gliders, the spoilers are
mostly used to control the speed of
descent for precise landings. In other aircraft,
spoilers are often used for control of
Figure 5-18. High-lift devices
alabeo, with the advantage of eliminating yaw
attack edge.
adverse. To turn right, for example, one lifts
The slots direct the airflow to the upper surface. the spoiler on the right wing, destroying part of the
delays the separation of the flow at high angles support and creating more resistance on the right. The
of attack. The slot does not increase the curvature of the wing, but to the right it falls, and the plane banks and turns to the right.
allows a CLhighest maximum, because the loss is Deploying the spoilers on both wings at the same time
delays until the wing reaches a higher AOA. weather allows the aircraft to descend without gaining
The movable slats consist of segments of the edge of speed. The spoilers also deploy to
attack, which move on rails. At low angles of help reduce the runway length after landing. To
 5-11

destroy support, transfer the weight to the wheels,

improving braking efficiency.[Figure 5-19]

Figure 5-19. Spoilers reduce lift

and increase resistance during the descent and the
landing.
Compensation systems
Although an airplane can be operated over a
wide range of attitudes, speeds and adjustments
power, can only be designed to fly hands-free
within a very limited combination of these Figure 5-20. The movement of the elevator is
variables. Compensation systems are used to opposite to the direction of movement of the tab
relieve the pilot of the need to maintain pressure elevator.
constant about the flight controls, and generally
consist of controls in the cabin and small If the compensating fin is adjusted to the maximum nose
articulated devices connected to the output edge of a up, the tab moves to its maximum position down.
or more of the primary flight control surfaces. in this case, the air flowing under the surface of the tail
Designed to help minimize the workload horizontal hits the tab and forces the exit edge of the
from a pilot, the compensation systems assist elevator up, reducing the AOA of the elevator.
aerodynamically the movement and position of the This causes the tail of the plane to move downward, and
flight control surface to which they are attached. The the nose moves upward.
most common types of compensation systems
Despite the opposite directional movement of the tab and the
they include compensation fins, fins of
elevator, the compensation control is natural for a
balance, antiservo fins, adjustable fins on land, and a
pilot. If the pilot needs to exert constant pressure
adjustable stabilizer.
backward on the remote, clarify the need to
Compensation tabs compensation for nose up. The normal procedure of
The most common in small aircraft is to place a compensation is that it continues to compensate until
single compensation fin attached to the trailing edge of the the aircraft is balanced and in a nose-down condition
elevator. Most of the compensation tabs are disappear. Pilots usually set the power
manually operated using a small wheel of desired, the nodding attitude, and the configuration
control mounted vertically in the cabin, a first, and then they compensate the plane to alleviate the
compensation lever. The cabin control of pressures on the control that may exist for that
Flight includes a position indicator. Placing the flight condition. Every time the
compensation control in position of the whole nose towards configuration, the power, or the pitch attitude, is
down move the trim tab to its highest position it is necessary to compensate again to relieve the
high. With the fin facing up and in the airflow, the control pressures for the new flight condition.
air flow over the horizontal tail surface tends
to force the elevator's exit edge downwards. This
Balance Tabs
makes the tail of the plane move upwards, and the
The control forces can be excessively high
nose down.[Figure 5-20]
in some airplanes, and, in order to reduce them, the
 5-12

Manufacturer can use balance tabs. They look like

compensating fins and articulate approximately
in the same places. The essential difference between the
the balance tabs are coupled to the
control surface rod so that when
the primary control surface moves in any
address, the tab moves automatically in the
opposite direction. The airflow hitting the tab
it compensates a little for the air pressure against the
primary control surface, and allows the pilot to move
and more easily maintain the control surface in
its position.
If the union between the balance tab and the fixed surface is
adjustable from the flight cabin, the tab acts as a
compensation table and combined balance that
it can be adjusted to any desired deflection.
Antiservo Tabs
The antiservo tabs work in the same way as the
balance tabs except that, instead of moving in the Figure 5-21. A anti-servo tab attempts to align the
opposite direction, they move in the same direction as control surface and is used to make the
the trailing edge of the stabilator. In addition to reducing the
stabilator less sensitive opposing the force
sensitivity of the stabilator, a servo tab as well exercised by the pilot.
it works as a compensatory device to relieve
the control pressure and maintain the stabilator in the
desired position. The fixed end of the joint is at the
opposite side of the surface; when the exit edge
the stabilator moves upwards, the joint force to the
exit edge of the tab up. When the stabilator
it moves down, the tab also moves down
down. On the contrary, the compensation tabs in
elevators move in the opposite direction to the
control surface.[Figure 5-21]
Adjustable tabs on land
Many small airplanes have a fin.
non-movable metal compensator in the rudder. This
the fin bends in one direction or the other while it is in
land to apply a compensation force to the rudder.
The correct displacement is determined by trial and
Figure 5-22. An adjustable tab is used on the rudder of
error. Generally, small adjustments are needed.
until the plane does not skid to the left or right many small airplanes to correct the
during normal cruise flight.[Figure 5-22] tendency to fly with the fuselage slightly
uncoordinated with the relative wind.
Adjustable stabilizer
Instead of using a mobile tab at the exit edge adjustable stabilizers are similar to those of a tab
some airplanes have a stabilizer from the elevator compensation.
adjustable. With this arrangement, the joints pivot the
horizontal stabilizer over its rear spar.
Autopilot
The autopilot is a flight control system
This is achieved through the use of a worm screw.
automatic system that keeps an airplane in level flight or
mounted on the leading edge of the stabilizer.
in an established course. It can be directed by the pilot,
Figure 5-23
or it can be coupled to a navigation signal by
In small airplanes, the screw is operated by cable. radio. The autopilot reduces physical demands
with a wheel or adjustment handle. On most planes and mental aspects of a pilot and increases safety. The
large, it is powered by a motor. The effect of common features available in a pilot
compensation and the instructions in the cabin of a
 5-13

Figure 5-23. Some airplanes, including those of

transport, they use an adjustable stabilizer to
provide the compensation forces Figure 5-24. Basic autopilot system
required. integrated into the flight control system.

automatic are the altitude maintenance and the

course
Summary of the chapter
The simplest systems use indicators of Given that the flight control systems and the
gyroscopic attitude and magnetic compass for aerodynamic characteristics vary greatly between the
control the servos connected to the control system of aircraft, it is essential for a pilot to be familiar with
flight. [Figure 5-24] The number and location of these the primary flight control systems and
servo depends on the complexity of the system. By secondary sources of the flown aircraft. The main source
For example, a single-axis autopilot controls the the AFM or the POH. Several manufacturers
aircraft with respect to the longitudinal axis and a servo and websites of owner groups can also be
activate the ailerons. A three-axis autopilot a valuable source of additional information.
control the aircraft around the longitudinal axes
lateral and vertical. Three different servos operate the
ailerons, elevator and rudder. The systems
more advanced often include a mode to
maintain a vertical speed and/or indicated airspeed.
Advanced autopilot systems are coupled to
navigation aids through a director of
flight.
The autopilot system also incorporates a
safety feature to disconnect the system
automatically or manually. These pilots
automated systems work with navigation systems
inertial, global positioning systems (GPS) and
flight computers to control the aircraft. In
fly-by-wire systems, the autopilot is a
integrated component.
Additionally, autopilots can be
manually disconnected. Since the systems of
automatic pilots are very different in their
operation, please refer to the user manual of the
autopilot in the Aircraft Flight Manual
(AFM) or Pilot Operating Handbook (POH).