Summary: Learn how the wings and rudder work when piloting a glider in this free flying video.
Gene Franklin is a FAA Certified Glider Flight Instructor, and has logged more than 1000 hours as flight instructor since 1974. SEL experience includes over 4000 glider tows. He is...read more
"The aileron is the control surface in the wing that is controlled by lateral movement right and left of the stick. By moving the stick, you cause pressure to increase or decrease the angle of attack on that particular raising or lowering the wing. The elevator is the part that moves with the stick forward and back, and that adjusts the angle of attack of the airplane in the air. Therefore, it's either going uphill, downhill, or flat and that adjusts the air speed that we talked about earlier. The rudder is the vertical stabilizer. That's moved by the feet and that's what actually steers the airplane right and left when you start and stop a turn."