Flight dynamics

Flight dynamics is the study of orientation of air and space vehicles and how to control the critical flight parameters, typically named pitch, roll and yaw.

Related Topics:
Air - Space - Vehicle

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Pitch is rotation around the lateral or transverse axis. This axis is parallel to the wings, thus the nose and tail both pitch up or down.

Related Topics:
Transverse - Axis - Parallel

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Roll is rotation around the longitudinal axis—an axis drawn through the body of the vehicle from tail to nose. This is also known as bank.

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Yaw is rotation about the normal axis—an axis perpendicular to the pitch and roll axes. If an airplane model placed on a flat surface is spun or pivoted around the center of mass (coordinate origin) it would be described as yawing.

Related Topics:
Normal - Perpendicular - Center of mass - Coordinate - Origin

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Aerospace engineers develop control laws and control systems to allow pilots to control their aircraft in the three dimensions described above.

Related Topics:
Aerospace engineer - Dimension

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