Here’s something that surprises almost everyone the first time they learn it: you don’t “steer” an airplane the same way you steer a car. In a car, you turn the steering wheel and the front wheels point in the new direction. The car follows. Simple and linear. In an airplane, you move a control wheel (or stick, depending on the…
Category: Aircraft Systems
The Anatomy of an Airplane
Pull up a photo of any small airplane, like a Cessna, a Piper, a Diamond. Look at it for a moment. Now ask yourself: do you know what every single part does? Most people can point to the wings and the engine. After that, it gets fuzzy fast. What’s that fin at the tail? Why does it need both a…

