What is Airplane’s Vertical Axis?
The vertical (or normal) axis of an airplane is an imaginary line that passes vertically through the airplane’s center of gravity (GC). The movement of the airplane around this axis is called “yaw” and is controlled by the movement of the rudder. This makes the nose of the airplane to move to the left or to the right. To control the rudder, the pilot steps/presses on the left or right rudder pedal. The rudder then deflects to the left or to the right. When the left pedal is pressed, the rudder deflects to the left, letting the air cause more pressure on the left side of the tail assembly, causing it to move to the right and thus the nose moves to the left. The opposite happens when the right pedal is pressed.
