Glossary

Ailerons

Ailerons are the pivoted panels found on the trailing edge of the aircrafts wing. Ailerons cause the aircraft to 'roll'. The ailerons on either wing are typically controlled together so that when one aileron is pushed down, the opposite aileron gets pushed up. The downgoing aileron causes an increase in lift on its wing while the upgoing aileron causes a reduction in lift on the other wing. This causes the plane to roll about its longitudinal (lengthways) axis. Aileron is a French word meaning 'little wing'.

Pitch

Pitch is the control of the aircrafts elevation. Increasing the pitch will cause the aircraft to tilt upwards and increase its altitude and a reduction in pitch will cause the aircraft to tilt downwards and begin to fall. Pitch is controlled by 'elevators' which are the pivoting panels and the aircrafts tail.

Rudder

The rudder provides control over the aircrafts 'yaw' or turning motion. The rudder is a vertically pivoted panel on the tail of the aircraft. Pushing the rudder out to the left will cause the aircraft to turn towards the left and vice-versa. On more basic RC planes that don't have ailerons, this is the only control over the turning motion of the aircraft. When an aircraft has ailerons, the rudder is used in conjunction with the ailerons to ensure that the aircraft is correctly aligned to the curve of the turn.

Throttle

The throttle is the control over the engine (or motor) power. An increase in the throttle control will cause the aircraft to accelerate. The throttle hence controls the aircrafts velocity or speed.