LATERAL CONTROL

The lateral controls (the aileron and rudder) on a conventional airplane have three principal functions.

1. To provide trim in the presence of asymmetric thrust associated with power plant failure.

2. To provide corrections for unwanted motions associated with atmos­pheric turbulence or other random events.

3. To provide for turning maneuvers—i. e. rotation of the velocity vector in a horizontal plane.

The first two of these purposes are served by having the controls generate aerodynamic moments about the x and z axes—rolling and yawing moments. For the third a force must be provided that has a component normal to V and in the horizontal plane. This is, of course, the component L sin ф of the lift when the airplane is banked at angle ф. In the equation of motion this appears as the sin ф term in (5.9,6). Thus the lateral controls (principally the aileron) produce turns as a secondary result of controlling ф.

Ordinarily, the long-term responses to deflection of the aileron and rudder are very complicated, with all the lateral degrees of freedom being excited by each. Solution of the complete equations of motion is the only way to appreciate these fully. Certain useful approximations of lower order are however available.