Which component directly changes yaw by deflection?

Which component directly changes yaw by deflection?

• A. Rudder
• B. Vertical Stabilizer
• C. Elevator
• D. Horizontal Stabilizer

Answer: (A)

Yaw is the rotation of the airplane around the vertical axis, so changing yaw requires a surface that deflects air to generate a side force. The surface that does this is the rudder, which is the movable trailing edge on the vertical stabilizer. When you deflect the rudder left or right, it pushes air in the opposite direction and creates a yawing moment that noses the aircraft toward that side. The vertical stabilizer mainly provides directional stability and houses the rudder but doesn’t itself produce yaw without the rudder deflection. The elevator on the horizontal stabilizer controls pitch—nose up or down—and the horizontal stabilizer’s job is stability in pitch, not yaw. So the direct yaw-changing component is the rudder.

Yaw is the rotation of the airplane around the vertical axis, so changing yaw requires a surface that deflects air to generate a side force. The surface that does this is the rudder, which is the movable trailing edge on the vertical stabilizer. When you deflect the rudder left or right, it pushes air in the opposite direction and creates a yawing moment that noses the aircraft toward that side. The vertical stabilizer mainly provides directional stability and houses the rudder but doesn’t itself produce yaw without the rudder deflection. The elevator on the horizontal stabilizer controls pitch—nose up or down—and the horizontal stabilizer’s job is stability in pitch, not yaw. So the direct yaw-changing component is the rudder.