How do airplanes turn?

[Almerick07]

I know a guy who just busted his CFI checkride with the OKC FSDO. Appearantly the examiner told him he was a student pilot and to tell him how the ailerons turned the airplane. The guy gave a pretty simple answer but the examiner wanted to hear, "the aileron changes the camber of the wing."

Not only does this sound a little fishy, but I know that isnt how I would explain a turn to a student pilot...makes me wonder about these FAA guys.

How would you (CFI) explain a turn to a student pilot?

 

[mynameisjim]

I would answer "how an airplane turns" differently then how I would answer "how does an aileron lift a wing".

How was the question asked?

 

[Tarzan]

An aileron does not change the camber of a wing. They change the angle of attack. The effect is a banked airplane resulting in a horizontal compentent of lift. Your buddy'd CFI didn't teach him very well.

 

[minitour]

Moving an aileron up and/or down changes the chord line of the wing. Chord line and relative wind gives you angle of attack. So assuming the same relative wind, you changed the AOA...change in AOA, change in lift...wings move up/down plane turns.

-mini

 

[VNugget]

An aileron does not change the camber of a wing. They change the angle of attack.

It changes both.

 

[MyRadarIsOut]

How do airplanes turn?


Very Carefully

 

[NookyBooky]

I know a guy who just busted his CFI checkride with the OKC FSDO. Appearantly the examiner told him he was a student pilot and to tell him how the ailerons turned the airplane. The guy gave a pretty simple answer but the examiner wanted to hear, "the aileron changes the camber of the wing."

Not only does this sound a little fishy, but I know that isnt how I would explain a turn to a student pilot...makes me wonder about these FAA guys.

How would you (CFI) explain a turn to a student pilot?

I don't know, but I bet George W. Bush is behind this somehow.

 

[HAL]

The question from the examiner was bull. Ailerons do not turn the plane - they change the lift of each wing to roll the plane around the longitudinal axis. Turning requires coordinated use of ailerons, elevator & rudder.

It sounds to me that the examiner was looking for a reason to fail this guy. It happens, especially in CFI checkrides. They have to keep their failure rate up to look good to their bosses.

HAL

 

[learflyer]

Flight options acft sometimes quick turn in 8-10 mins. Depending on how quick the line guys are.

 

[mzaharis]

It increases circulation, to account for the Kutta condition on a modified flow field.