Airplanes typically don’t follow a fixed path. Rather, pilots will change the direction of airplanes. While there are dozens of different types of airplanes, nearly all of them support three axes of flight. The three axes of flight include pitch, roll and yaw. Each of these axes allows airplanes to rotate in a different way.
What Is Pitch?
Pitch is the rotational movement of an airplane in which the nose moves up and down with the axis running between the wings. Pilots will adjust the pitch when taking off and landing. From the cockpit, they can increase or decrease the airplane’s pitch.
Raising the nose of the airplane, of course, will increase the altitude at which the airplane flies. Lowering the nose of the airplane will have the opposite effect by decreasing the airplane’s flight altitude. Pitch is one of the three axes of flight that, like the other axes, dictates the rotational movement of airplanes.
What Is Roll?
Roll is the rotational movement of an airplane in which the axis runs from the tail to the nose. Roll is characterized by a lengthwise axis. Airplanes can rotate from this axis. Roll essentially allows airplanes to rock from side to side. By adjusting the airplane’s roll, pilots can turn.
Most airplanes feature ailerons. These hinge-like devices are used to control the roll. Pilots can engage the ailerons to turn or roll the airplane. When rolling, one of the airplane’s wings will be higher the other wing. Rolling to the right, for example, will result in the airplane’s right wing being lower than its left wing.
What Is Yaw?
Yaw is the rotational movement of an airplane in which the nose moves perpendicular to the airplane’s wings. It allows pilots to change the airplane’s heading. Pilots can control the yaw to change the airplane’s heading.
While ailerons are responsible for an airplane’s roll, rudders are responsible for the yaw. Rudders feature a similar hinge-like design as their aileron counterparts. Rudders, though, affect the yaw, whereas ailerons affect the roll.
During flight, airplanes can rotate in different ways. The nose can move and down; the body can rock from side to the side; or the nose can move perpendicular to the wings.
In Conclusion
The three axes of flight consist of pitch, roll and yaw. They refer to the way in which airplanes can rotate during flight. There are many different types of airplanes, but nearly all of them rotate via pitch, roll and yaw.
