Elevator (aeronautics)

The elevator is used to rotate an airplane or airship about its transverse axis. The plane thereby changing the angle of attack of the wing, and thus the dynamic lift.

It is usually about a movable horizontal surface at the tail fin, which can be moved by means of the control stick or control horn about a transverse axis up or down. The elevator can also be mounted in other locations of the aircraft. The Wright Brothers' airplane was called a canard design ( canard ) and had the elevator forward.

The elevator is used by attaching a trim, a trim tab, for example, also for the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft.

If the elevator is not in the air stream, it can no longer contribute to the control (deep stall ). This can lead to loss of control and at low altitude to crash the aircraft. As with T-tail aircraft (such as Boeing 727 or Tupolev Tu -154 ) in critical phases of flight are more prone to deep stall, this arrangement of the tail on new commercial aircraft is only very rarely applied.

Pendulum elevator

A pendulum elevator is a specific embodiment of the elevator. In this design, the entire guide surface is rotated about an axis that passes through the pressure point. By rotation about this axis, the angle of attack and thus changing the lift.

The pendulum elevator is used because of its simple design, especially in the airplane model, where the control forces are low. Occasionally it is also used in gliders, for example in the Schleicher ASW 15 Even when fighter aircraft General Dynamics F- 16 is a pendulum elevator used.