How It Works: Yaw Damper

Friday, October 06, 2017 at 11:30 PM ET

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A) The soul of a yaw damper rests with rudder servos, accelerometers and rate sensors, often located in the tail of the airplane. B) In most aircraft, the yaw damper sensors are constantly talking back and forth to the primary onboard reference system, such as the ADAHRS. C) The yaw damper on some aircraft turns on and off automatically, making it one more thing the PIC need not worry about forgetting. Illustration by Tim Barker

Key Takeaways:

A yaw damper automatically stabilizes an aircraft around its vertical axis by applying rudder inputs, smoothing out "fishtailing" in single-engine planes and inhibiting "Dutch roll" in swept-wing aircraft for a more comfortable and controlled flight.
Its operation ranges from pilot-selected in older aircraft to automatic engagement above 200 feet AGL in modern planes like the Cirrus SR22, integrating with avionics for continuous envelope protection.
For larger or swept-wing aircraft, pilots often manually control the yaw damper, as it can complicate engine failure identification during takeoff or limit control authority during challenging landings.
While enhancing turn coordination and reducing the need for manual rudder input, pilots accustomed to yaw dampers may find transitioning to aircraft without them challenging due to the re-learned need for manual rudder control.

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In its most basic form, a yaw damper inhibits movement of an aircraft around its vertical axis, performing like an automated set of feet on the rudder pedals.