Stability Demonstration
Yaw Stability
- Establish S&L flight, trimmed out
- Make a significant depression on the left or right rudder
- Release and observe how the airplane reestablishes straight flight
- Use the analogy of an arrow that wants to fly straight
Roll Stability
- Establish a small bank (< 10 °)
- Release controls and observe how airplane slows comes back to level
- Notice how this doesn't happen with banks angles >20°
Pitch Stability
- Raise the nose slightly and release it
- Observe the airplane
- Slow down and lower the nose
- Speed back up and raise the nose
- The pitch oscillations slowly damper out, returns us back to our level pitch attitude