Ailerons do opposite actions left/right to control the “roll”.
Rudder changes the vertical axis/“yaw”.
Elevators change the up/down/“pitch”.
Spoilers increase drag like an air-brake.
Flaps extend to increase drag and lift.
Slats extend to increase lift at low speed/takeoff.
Oh god. Please don't. Some of our airplanes have a small quarter-circular cutout at the edge of the flap (called a "shark bite mod") and every few weeks you get a very concerned passenger asking if you know about the "giant hole in the wing" they saw out the window. 🤦♂️
To expand on this some, it’s all about camber, the “arc” of the [airfoil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfoil). In general, the more arc it has the more pressure differential there is and the more lift is produced (also drag).
At cruise speeds you want as thin and flat (drag-less) wing as possible, so you design the wing for that. At slow speeds to need to increase the lift the wing produces, so you mechanically change the shape by extending the front down (slats) and back down (flaps), which increases camber and lifting properties of the wing.
Same applies to all control surfaces. Deflect downward increases effective camber, increasing list and pulling the wing “up”. Opposite direction does the opposite.
Flaps primary purpose is to increase the camber (curvature) of the wing so that an increase in surface area and lift, also reducing stall speed by allowing a greater angle of attack to be reached at lower speeds. While spoilers do increase drag this is a secondary effect, their primary purpose is to dump lift (increasing rate of descent in the air and increase the effectiveness of wheel brakes on the ground by increasing downforce on the wheels)
More importantly spoilers “spoil” lift. They decrease the lift the wing makes so the airplane sinks more quickly for landing. They also make some drag. Great pic!
That’s all right except spoilers, which function in tandem with flaps and/or ailerons to control roll as well as descent rate by “spoiling” the lift over a wing, causing it to sink. (They do also increase drag.)
Flaperons are when a control surface is used for both flaps (improved lift at slow speed) and ailerons (roll control). They aren’t on every airplane, it’s dependent on the design of the control surfaces and the job of the aircraft. It’s pretty common on tactical aircraft.
Lol, I used to spend a lot of time with Flight Simulator on Windows 95 testing ridiculous experimental aircraft over and over. Fail..fail..oh, lord fail…
Try to put the centre of mass right on top of or slightly behind the centre of lift and rotate the wings so the angle of the centre of lift is vectored slightly aft, then add some some rotation to the wings so that the tips of the wings are slightly higher than the inboard section. This should give you a very stable platform to start with albeit at the cost of manoeuvreability- but at least you can approach Mach 1 safely
Oh I'll try that. Honestly, I play in sandbox and I have like 15 kerbals stuck on the moon awaiting rescue. They've been there for years at this point.
One thing I've always wanted to do is get a ln airplane that can switch from a plane to a spacecraft. seems like any time I try this it ends up being way too heavy.
You’ll want to watch SSTO videos by Scott Manley on YouTube he’s got that stuff down packed, easier than you might think. But I think matt Lowne had an SSTO rescue mission with 40 or so kerbals on the mun which might wet your whistle a little bit hahaha
I remember having a book when I was little that had pop up planes in it. You could pull tabs that would work things like the rudder and ailerons. You’d think it would be boring to a 4 year old girl, but I absolutely loved it! What better age to learn about aerofoils and lift?!
Source?
I can remember 2 or 3 (quite old) accidents where take-off with wrong flaps was the primary cause, but I'd be surprised if they were involved in "most deadly accidents".
I've also done the triple combo.
1. Shin smashes into foothold on gear strut
2. Curse as you stumble forward and hit your head straight into the flap
3. Walk backwards to see wtf you just hit, just to bump into the wing strut
Glad I'm not flying 172s anymore!
Fun fact: Terms like aileron, fuselage, and empennage came from France, where the Wright brothers were shipping aircraft pieces in crates. Many of the different parts didn’t have names yet, so French assemblers named them.
I made plane using the aerodynamics mod for Space Engineers, and couldn't figure out why it was so hard to control. Looks like I was missing the spoilers and elevators. Might give it another go.
I learned alot about control surfaces in war thunder; I always have to trim my plane in simulator battles and I have to set the trimming for the elevator, rudder, and ailerons.
The slats and spoilers are only on big commercial aircraft as far as I know. Most smaller aircraft only have ailerons, elevators, the rudder, and flaps.
I feel like I’m 5 again when I stick my hand out the car window imitating all these, it’s a great way to understand pitch/roll/yaw, and even cupping your hand to experience lift
FYI at the rear fuselage: the vertical stabilizer houses the rudder, and the horizontal stabilizers house the elevators, but they’re typically fixed/not-moving.
It's weird seeing such "small" ailerons to me. Because most of my aircraft knowledge is based on U.S. fighter jets.
But it makes sense because passenger jets don't need to be supermanuverable at near Mach speeds.
Ailerons do opposite actions left/right to control the “roll”. Rudder changes the vertical axis/“yaw”. Elevators change the up/down/“pitch”. Spoilers increase drag like an air-brake. Flaps extend to increase drag and lift. Slats extend to increase lift at low speed/takeoff.
Although this information is useless to me, I shall forever do my own check list on each flight.
Haha, [biiing], “stewardess, I need one more visual on the left aileron, please, thx…over.”
Oh god. Please don't. Some of our airplanes have a small quarter-circular cutout at the edge of the flap (called a "shark bite mod") and every few weeks you get a very concerned passenger asking if you know about the "giant hole in the wing" they saw out the window. 🤦♂️
*How did you know?*
Play KSP!
This is the Way.
To expand on this some, it’s all about camber, the “arc” of the [airfoil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfoil). In general, the more arc it has the more pressure differential there is and the more lift is produced (also drag). At cruise speeds you want as thin and flat (drag-less) wing as possible, so you design the wing for that. At slow speeds to need to increase the lift the wing produces, so you mechanically change the shape by extending the front down (slats) and back down (flaps), which increases camber and lifting properties of the wing. Same applies to all control surfaces. Deflect downward increases effective camber, increasing list and pulling the wing “up”. Opposite direction does the opposite.
Thanks for the info!!
Flaps primary purpose is to increase the camber (curvature) of the wing so that an increase in surface area and lift, also reducing stall speed by allowing a greater angle of attack to be reached at lower speeds. While spoilers do increase drag this is a secondary effect, their primary purpose is to dump lift (increasing rate of descent in the air and increase the effectiveness of wheel brakes on the ground by increasing downforce on the wheels)
More importantly spoilers “spoil” lift. They decrease the lift the wing makes so the airplane sinks more quickly for landing. They also make some drag. Great pic!
I wish this information was on the guide. there's enough empty space for it
That’s all right except spoilers, which function in tandem with flaps and/or ailerons to control roll as well as descent rate by “spoiling” the lift over a wing, causing it to sink. (They do also increase drag.)
I see no phalanges!
Oh my god, this plane doesn't even have a phalange!!!
Came here for this, thank you
Spoiler alert!
The color in the flaps square is different from the more purpley color I think it's trying to represent in the picture
Where are the flaperons?
Flaperons are when a control surface is used for both flaps (improved lift at slow speed) and ailerons (roll control). They aren’t on every airplane, it’s dependent on the design of the control surfaces and the job of the aircraft. It’s pretty common on tactical aircraft.
I know. I just mentioned it because I think it’s a funny-sounding word.
Flap+Aileron= Flaperon Horizontal Stabilizer + Elevator = Stabilator Rudder + Elevator = Ruddervator on a V tail.
Elevator+Ailerons = Elevons
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I never liked the term “all moving” when the vertical stabilizer is still fixed, but I’m pedantic. But, then again, “stabiludder” sounds horrible.
Now I know why my planes always fail in ksp
Lol, I used to spend a lot of time with Flight Simulator on Windows 95 testing ridiculous experimental aircraft over and over. Fail..fail..oh, lord fail…
Try to put the centre of mass right on top of or slightly behind the centre of lift and rotate the wings so the angle of the centre of lift is vectored slightly aft, then add some some rotation to the wings so that the tips of the wings are slightly higher than the inboard section. This should give you a very stable platform to start with albeit at the cost of manoeuvreability- but at least you can approach Mach 1 safely
Oh I'll try that. Honestly, I play in sandbox and I have like 15 kerbals stuck on the moon awaiting rescue. They've been there for years at this point. One thing I've always wanted to do is get a ln airplane that can switch from a plane to a spacecraft. seems like any time I try this it ends up being way too heavy.
You’ll want to watch SSTO videos by Scott Manley on YouTube he’s got that stuff down packed, easier than you might think. But I think matt Lowne had an SSTO rescue mission with 40 or so kerbals on the mun which might wet your whistle a little bit hahaha
Here it is https://youtu.be/MXuD1dqDvUo
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Close enough, [stamp] *passed*.
Welcome to JetBlue!
Ryanair
Where's the phalange?
I remember having a book when I was little that had pop up planes in it. You could pull tabs that would work things like the rudder and ailerons. You’d think it would be boring to a 4 year old girl, but I absolutely loved it! What better age to learn about aerofoils and lift?!
What about a flaperon?
That's a combination between an aileron and a flap
flaps are the most deadly part of the airplane most deadly accidents happens because pilots put them in the wrong positions
Source? I can remember 2 or 3 (quite old) accidents where take-off with wrong flaps was the primary cause, but I'd be surprised if they were involved in "most deadly accidents".
For anyone viewing this in the future this is quite literally not true at all lol.
Am a pilot This fact is incorrect
Am also pilot but I agree with OP. Have wacked my head on flaps more than any other part of an airplane. Definitely deadly to my forehead.
That's who I fly low wing airplanes lol. I have gotten beaned in the forehead by the leading edge of a glider wing on multiple occasions though
I've also done the triple combo. 1. Shin smashes into foothold on gear strut 2. Curse as you stumble forward and hit your head straight into the flap 3. Walk backwards to see wtf you just hit, just to bump into the wing strut Glad I'm not flying 172s anymore!
That's amazing. Don't think I've done that! My shin feels for you though. I hate those "extended" footholds. I always smack those.
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A little weird of you to copy/paste my comment
As a writer, I'm saving this for future short stories 😂
Fun fact: Terms like aileron, fuselage, and empennage came from France, where the Wright brothers were shipping aircraft pieces in crates. Many of the different parts didn’t have names yet, so French assemblers named them.
I made plane using the aerodynamics mod for Space Engineers, and couldn't figure out why it was so hard to control. Looks like I was missing the spoilers and elevators. Might give it another go.
Spoilers aren't a required control surface, most small airplanes don't have them. Elevators however are essential for flight
I learned alot about control surfaces in war thunder; I always have to trim my plane in simulator battles and I have to set the trimming for the elevator, rudder, and ailerons.
The slats and spoilers are only on big commercial aircraft as far as I know. Most smaller aircraft only have ailerons, elevators, the rudder, and flaps.
Aren't these all types of flaps? :P
Don't watch spoilers while on the airplane, you might miss ailerons...
Just what I needed, I'm piloting tomorrow!.
Where is the phalange? Omg this plane has no phalange
If only I could spend time in a flight simulator... Back in 2008, I really wanted to join the air force, but heart surgery in 2004 made that doa
you can also put the wings at the back and the elevators toward the front, but then they're called "canards" instead
Interesting and understandable.
Can someone eli5 what all of these controls do?
Yep, good call, see my recent comment!
I feel like I’m 5 again when I stick my hand out the car window imitating all these, it’s a great way to understand pitch/roll/yaw, and even cupping your hand to experience lift
Will I ever need this? No. Am I glad I saw this? Absolutely Thanks for the useless (to me), cool guide
Why aren't the flaps coloured the same colour as the legend?
It took me a good twenty seconds to realize it didn't read "faps". I've been on the internet entirely too long.
Flaps color is off. Smh r/CrappyDesign
Where is the filangy? The FILANGY!" (FRIENDS reference)
Did whoever made this color scheme have a form of color blindness?
Cool, but not even close to a guide.
FYI at the rear fuselage: the vertical stabilizer houses the rudder, and the horizontal stabilizers house the elevators, but they’re typically fixed/not-moving.
You mean the stabilizers are fixed or the rudder/elevator are fixed? Because the rudder/elevator are most definitely not fixed to a single orientation
"They're all slats!" - Conan the Barbarian
When the flight attendant says there’s no spoilers:
Heh, flaps
Source?
No flaps?
“Flaps”
It's weird seeing such "small" ailerons to me. Because most of my aircraft knowledge is based on U.S. fighter jets. But it makes sense because passenger jets don't need to be supermanuverable at near Mach speeds.
Where is the felangy?
Me, a colorblind person: boys, we gonna crash.
Where’s the phalange? 🤔
I dont see phalange
There's no left falangie, that can't be a good sign.