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Aircraft Pitch
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Glenn
Research
Center
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One of the major breakthroughs of the Wright brothers was the ability
to
control
and maneuver their
aircraft.
The first aircraft to achieve complete control in all three directions
was the
1902 aircraft
which is shown in this animation.
The animation demonstrates the pitch motion of the aircraft.
This is characterized by an up and down movement of the aircraft nose.
The Wright brothers achieved pitch control by an
elevator
placed at the front of the aircraft. The
angle of attack
of the elevator could be changed by the pilot in flight.
You can view a short
movie
of "Orville and Wilbur Wright" explaining how the elevator
was used to control the pitch of their aircraft. The movie file can
be saved to your computer and viewed as a Podcast on your podcast player.
Navigation..
- Re-Living the Wright Way
- Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics
- NASA Home Page
- http://www.nasa.gov
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