Features of Piloting an Airplane

Chapter 3.4

Experiences During an Introductory Flight

Whenever someone takes the flight controls of an aircraft for the first time, they find that these controls act very differently from, say, those of cars. The main differences are described below.

Inertia and Oscillation

The airplane is a heavy mass in a light environment, air. This mass tends to keep its speed and direction.

You will notice that the flight controls of the airplane react very slowly. The time elapsing between applying a command and the airplane’s response is quite long. This results in a tendency to force one’s commands / CONTROL INPUT and so cause a rocking motion.

In this situation, the airplane should be stabilized by taking a point of reference. Otherwise there arises a movement whose oscillations become increasingly important.

Effects of Control Input

A distinction must be made between the effects on control inputs during ground operations and those during flight operations.

The control surfaces do not act immediately on the aircraft, unlike with a vehicle on the ground. The reactions are not as direct.

The response time to a command or to a power correction depends on their effectiveness. It is also dependent on the mass and the speed of the aircraft.

Corrections and Adjustments

Corrections are made when a clear trend is identifiable, or when the attitude is stabilized.