Ask an Explainer
Q:
Can a pilot turn an airplane using yaw without the ailerons?
A:
A pilot can turn the airplane to the right and the left, the motion we call yaw, without using ailerons, but he/she will quickly lose control.
Ailerons help with another important control on the airplane: roll. The yaw can be controlled with the rudder, while the aileron controls the roll of the airplane, or side-to-side movement. When a pilot tries to yaw left or right, the plane starts to roll on its own, so the ailerons are needed to help control the rolling movement. You can try controlling a plane yourself on our website.
Posted on October 2, 2012 at 2:54 pm
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