Pitch Control in Aeroplanes. Life Sciences Essay.

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Pitch Control in Aeroplanes
Pitch is controlled by the elevator on a plane, which refers to the lateral movements. They are located at the back/tail of the plane and are usually two in number with one on each side. The elevators are located on the ends of the horizontal stabilizers and are hinged, allowing them to move upwards and downwards. In a majority of planes, elevators function to counteract the forces exerted by the wings of the plane to enable better control by a pilot (Federal Aviation Administration). Furthermore, the elevators also provide stability for the plane due to their downward force they exert on the tail. The elevators respond to controls by the pilot, whereby a downward deflection causes the plane to increase its lift, causing the nose to pitch downwards and vice versa.
Pitch forms a critical part of planes' ability to maneuver both while flying in the sky, landing and take-off. The elevator thus plays an essential role in managing the angle of attack and positioning of the nose of the plane under these different conditions (Benson). During a flight, the tilting of the elevators upwards causes them to deflect the stream of air around it up. The shape of the elevator as an airfoil causes differences in air pressure both at the top and bottom of the elevator. In this case, air pressure at the top of the airfoil is less than that at the top (Ravikanth, Dagamoori and SaiDheeraj). This causes the tail of the plane to be pushed down while the nose is pushed upwards. Consequently, the tilting of the elevators upwards causes the tail to have less lift as comp...