Linked Questions
18 questions linked to/from Are fighter jets designed to be so inherently unstable that a human can't fly one unassisted?
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Trimmed unstable aircraft [duplicate]
I am wondering which conditions are possible and what they mean:
Aircraft is statically stable in pitch and there is a trim point (for a specific surface deflection)
--> So in this situation my ...
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Why is the Tu-144 the only commercial airplane with canard configuration?
I understand the delta wing was chosen because of the supersonic cruise (like the Concorde), and canards were added to reduce the approach/landing speed. But canards may be used without delta wing (e....
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Do any airplane designs exist that don't involve a flight surface that provides downforce?
Most aircraft maintain longitudinal stability by balancing three forces:
The down force acting through the center of gravity (CG)
The lifting force acting through the center of lift
The down force ...
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What does it mean for a plane to be aerodynamically stable?
I've heard that most planes (excepting fighter jets) are "aerodynamically stable." What does that mean?
Let's say you're cursing around in a Cessna 172 without autopilot, and you take your hands off ...
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Why is managing CG (centre of gravity) important?
Why do people have to worry about CG? Is it primarily due to fuel penalty, or take-off and landing performance, or is it mostly just to keep the aircraft from tipping over during loading and unloading,...
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Why did moving the CG aft on the Wright Brother's plane improve handling?
In response to Peter Kämpf's answer to this question, why did moving the CG back on the Wright Flyer improve its stability?
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Is A380's center of gravity really too far back?
I have searched and even studied plans from Airbus itself, but I was not able to confirm the following and would like to ask if the information I have is correct.
TLDR version so you don't have to ...
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Why can't planes use only flaps in the tail section instead of stabilizers?
I imagine plane having only four flaps in the back (one on top, bottom, left and right), similar to ailerons but longer and narrower. They can open from the fuselage to correct the plane's yaw or ...
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Are there any fly-by-wire airliners with negative or near-neutral pitch stability?
Are any modern commercial airliners with fly-by-wire flight control systems designed with negative or near-neutral pitch stability so that they can take advantage of the capability of such systems to ...
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Are birds aerodynamically stable?
This question is bordering between aviation and biology. I am posting it here, since it is really about aerodynamics.
At first, one would think, that birds should be aerodynamically stable to save ...
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Center of Gravity and Center of Lift stability
I have recently been reading about the center of gravity and center of lift. On the German Wikipedia there are many different graphics about the relation between the center of gravity and the center ...
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What advantages are provided by an unstable canard configuration for fighters?
Why are most canard fighter aircraft unstable? A stable design would let the canard provide lift. My guesses are:
Increase pitch rate
Decrease stability while supersonic (supersonic, the aircraft ...
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Why should the centre of mass be ahead of the centre of pressure?
Why is the centre of mass located ahead of the centre of pressure? And what would happen if centre of mass would be too close or too far away from the centre of pressure?
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Are there any airplanes with the Centre of Gravity behind the Centre of Pressure? [duplicate]
We are used to seeing a forward CG in all airplanes, from a small Cessna to a large Boeing.
I wonder whether any airplane with CG behind wing CP exists in production? Is it even possible? If so, what ...
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Does the 787 gust alleviation system make a more comfortable ride or for a more stable aircraft?
The 787 active gust alleviation system, similar to the system used on the B-2 bomber, improves ride quality during turbulence.
Ride quality in a B2 bomber means a more stable weapons platform.
Ride ...
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