Essay On Flight Control

Primary Flight Controls

Primary flight controls refer to the controls of the aircraft which control its direction and stability which are key to maintaining safe flight. The primary controls are those which control the aircrafts roll through its longitudinal axis, pitch through its lateral axis and yaw through its vertical axis. The mechanisms which perform these operations are ailerons, elevators and rudders. (1. http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Flight_Controls, 29/10/15)

Ailerons – These are the parts located on the trailing edge of the aircrafts wing which control the rolling movement of the aircraft. These hinge like mechanisms on each wing work opposite to one another depending on which direction the aircraft is required to roll. For

Extending these slats creates even more lift, this allows the plane to fly at lower speeds without dropping altitude. Slats allow air to flow smoothly along the surface of the wing. Sometimes air is unable to follow the surface of the wing and becomes turbulent which can affect lift, the use of slats reduces this problem. The difference between slots and slats is that Slats can be retracted to be flush with the wing surface however a Slot cannot. (7. http://www.flightsimmer.gr/index.php/en/training/flight-control-system/secondary-flight-control-systems#4-slats,

During flight, when a fixed slot is in place there can be an increase in drag caused by turbulent airflow around the gaps between the wing and the slot. To overcome this, a retractable Slat is used in place of a slot to benefit from the optimised airflow during take-off and ascension and take away the drag once the aircraft has reached its optimum altitude. Droop Nose is different to slats and slots as the leading edge of the wing itself is drooped rather that slats extending outward. This operation increases the wing’s camber and also reduces its angle of attack. (10. Aidan Rooney Notes, 11.1.1 Page 15 “Aerodynamics and Flight Controls”,