What is Aircraft Pitch Motion?
Pitch is the motion of the aircraft using its pitch (also lateral) axis which is perpendicular to the aircraft centerline and lies in the plane of the wings. It is the up or down movement of the nose of the aircraft.
The pitching motion is being caused by the deflection of the elevator of the aircraft. The elevator is a hinged section at the rear of the horizontal stabilizer there is usually an elevator on each side of the vertical stabilizer. The elevators work in pairs; when the right elevator goes up, the left elevator also goes up.[1]
The stick (joy stick or control wheel) is connected by means of wires or hydraulics to the tail section’s elevators. By moving the stick or control wheel, the pilot can change the position of the elevators. When the control column is pushed in, the elevators move down, pitching the tail of the airplane up and the nose down, making the airplane point down. The opposite happens when pulling the control column back.
The lift generated by the elevator acts through the center of pressure of the elevator and horizontal stabilizer and is located at some distance from the center of gravity of the aircraft. The change in lift created by deflecting the elevator generates a torque about the center of gravity which causes the airplane to rotate. The pilot can use this ability to make the airplane loop. Or, since many aircraft loop naturally, the deflection can be used to trim or balance the aircraft, thus preventing a loop.[1]
On many aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer and elevator create a symmetric airfoil. This produces no lift when the elevator is aligned with the stabilizer and allows the combination to produce either positive or negative lift, depending on the deflection of the elevator. On many fighter planes, in order to meet their high maneuvering requirements, the stabilizer and the elevator are combined into one large moving surface called a stabilator. The change in force is created by changing the inclination of the entire surface, not by changing its effective shape.[1]
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