Aircraft control surfaces

 

 

An essential element in a pilot’s safe completion of a flight is the control of his aircraft.  The pilot of an aircraft must be able to accurately control an aircraft in three axes.  Those axes are pitch, roll, and yaw, or nose-up--nose-down, lean-left--lean-right and nose-left--nose-right.

 

The primary control for an aircraft to climb or descend is the horizontal control surface at the rear of the aircraft called the elevator or stabilator.  An elevator is a movable control surface attached to the horizontal stabilizer of the aircraft.  Moving the wheel or stick of the aircraft forward or back makes the elevator move down or up. When the elevator moves down, increased wind force impinging upon it pushes the tail up, pitching the nose of the aircraft down. When it moves up, the opposite happens. Pulling back on the control wheel thus causes the nose of the aircraft to pitch upward. In a climb, the aircraft’s nose is held in a position above the relative horizon, causing the aircraft to assume a climb attitude. Pushing forward on the control wheel of the aircraft causes the aircraft to descend.

 

A secondary control surface connected to the elevator is the trim tab. The trim tab is a movable surface that causes the elevator to remain in a set position, making it unnecessary to hold constant pressure on the control wheel to maintain a constant pitch attitude. Most aircraft can be flown with fingertip pressure if trimmed properly.

A stabilator acts in the same way as an elevator, however the entire horizontal surface of the tail moves, providing a greater control authority.

 

The second major control surfaces are the ailerons. These are connected to the outboard sections of the wings and provide the pilot with an ability to control the rolling or banking of the aircraft.  The ailerons are also controlled by the movement of the control wheel or stick in the cockpit of the aircraft. The ailerons cause the aircraft to bank by changing the camber or shape of the wing. 

 

If a bank to the right is desired, the pilot turns the wheel of the aircraft to the right, deflecting the aileron on the left wing downward, which increases the lift on that wing. 

The aileron on the right wing simultaneously deflects upward, causing that wing to lose lift.  This unequal lift will cause the aircraft to roll in the desired direction.  After the desired angle of bank is achieved, the pilot returns the control wheel to the original neutral position.  The aircraft will maintain the angle of bank until the pilot rolls the aircraft back to wings-level.

Some aircraft provide roll control by the use of spoilerons.  These panels on the upper side of the wing deflect upon the movement of the control wheel.  If the control wheel is moved to command a right turn, the spoileron on the right wing will extend, spoiling the lift on that wing and causing it to drop. 

The third control surface is the rudder of the aircraft. The rudder controls the aircraft in the yaw axis. 

 

The rudder is connected to the rudder pedals on the floor of the aircraft. 

By pushing on the right or left rudder pedals the pilot will deflect a movable surface connected to the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft, which causes the nose of the aircraft to “steer” right or left. 

The use of right rudder compensates for the tendency of the aircraft to turn to the left when full power is used on takeoffs. 

 

The rudder also is used to overcome the adverse yaw caused by a downward deflected aileron when banking and when landing in a crosswind.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, an aircraft called the Ercoupe was produced with no rudder pedals.  This aircraft was billed as being as easy to fly as driving an automobile. 

The landing gear was designed to caster, enabling the aircraft to land in a crabbed attitude during crosswind landings.

These control surfaces; the elevator, the ailerons, and the rudder, when used in concert, allow the pilot of the aircraft to control the attitude of the aircraft with a great deal of precision.

 

Airport Authority meets

The December meeting of the Santa Ynez Valley Airport Authority was held on Dec. 6 at the airport administration building.  The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Chairman Chamberlin. 

Attending the meeting were board officers: President James Kunkle, Secretary Aggie Margolis, and Vice-President Garth Carrier.  Directors Jeff Hecker, Tom Petersen, and Bob Leite were also in attendance.

 

The treasurer’s report detailed the receipt of an additional $3,000 in revenue for the month of December from Conde Nast Magazine for a photo shoot for Dillards Department Stores.  The airport authority charges $1,500 per day for special uses such as commercial shoots or other non-aviation commercial uses.

In other business, the board received a report of the receipt of an application for a commercial use license from Light Sport Airplanes West to operate a light sport aircraft dealership out of Santa Ynez Airport.  Upon completion of the application and verification of insurance, the application will be handled administratively by the airport management.

 

Airport consultant Kim Joos reported a change in insurance companies providing directors and officers liability insurance. 

During a report on the status of the airport’s conditional use permit, Chamberlin reported that there was some misinformation in the public discussion from local activist groups regarding the county’s disinclination to perform an environmental impact report.  Chamberlin was to attend a meeting of the Central Coast Water Board to assist in clearing misunderstandings regarding the county’s past position on the EIR.

An update on the new webcam and airport website shows that between 12,000 and 17,000 “hits” are being recorded each day.  The live webcam and airport information can be viewed at www.santaynezairport.com.

 

Airport manager Kunkle provided an update on the continuing problem with the sealant applied to the ramp areas. 

Testing showed that the sealant contained water content far higher than what was allowed by the manufacturer or the specifications for the sealant.  Additional testing is being done and a solution is in the works.

The next meeting of the airport authority will be held on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.