All About Ailerons

Last month in this space we tackled “Proper Rudder Use,” pointing out that in many situations involving angles of attack (AoA) at or near the stall, rudder and not aileron should be the control used to maintain both heading and a wings-level attitude. We also explored how rudder is used to compensate for adverse yaw, and presented a simple exercise pilots can use to demonstrate both its proper and improper application.

Michael J. Banner

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Ailerons create adverse yaw due to differential drag, necessitating rudder input for coordinated flight, and also generate drag that can reduce performance, especially at high angles of attack.
At or near stall angles of attack, rudder should be used for minor bank corrections instead of ailerons to prevent increasing a wing's angle of attack, which could lead to a stall or spin.
For most aircraft, the proper sequence for initiating a turn is rudder, then aileron, then elevator (RAE) to ensure coordinated flight, prevent slips or skids, and avoid increased wing loading and stall risk.
Pilots should develop a "seat of the pants" feel for coordinated flight, rather than solely relying on the slip-skid ball, to effectively apply rudder and maintain proper aircraft alignment.

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Of course, any complete discussion of how to use an airplane’s rudder must also include ailerons and the how and why of their workings, how they create adverse yaw and how we use rudder to maintain coordinated flight. Finally, we want to address an age-old question: Which to apply first when rolling into a banked turn: Rudder? Aileron? Both? Why?