What do elevators control?

What do elevators control?

• A. Yaw
• B. Altitude
• C. Pitch
• D. Roll

Answer: (C)

Elevators control pitch—the nose-up or nose-down attitude of the airplane around its lateral axis. Located on the horizontal stabilizer at the tail, these surfaces deflect to change the angle of attack and the aircraft’s attitude. Pulling back on the controls raises the elevators, tilting the nose up and typically initiating a climb or leveling flight; pushing forward lowers the nose, tilting it down and aiding descent or increasing airspeed. They don’t directly control yaw (left-right direction) or roll (wingtip tilt); yaw is managed by the rudder and roll by the ailerons. Altitude isn’t controlled directly by the elevators, though changing pitch affects altitude over time in combination with thrust and speed.

Elevators control pitch—the nose-up or nose-down attitude of the airplane around its lateral axis. Located on the horizontal stabilizer at the tail, these surfaces deflect to change the angle of attack and the aircraft’s attitude. Pulling back on the controls raises the elevators, tilting the nose up and typically initiating a climb or leveling flight; pushing forward lowers the nose, tilting it down and aiding descent or increasing airspeed. They don’t directly control yaw (left-right direction) or roll (wingtip tilt); yaw is managed by the rudder and roll by the ailerons. Altitude isn’t controlled directly by the elevators, though changing pitch affects altitude over time in combination with thrust and speed.