Talk:Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.1

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Aileron description[edit]

The ailerons are described as providing lateral control. This is ambiguous and not a conventional term regarding flying of aircraft.

The ailerons conventionally provide roll control and the rudder provides yaw control. When an aircraft is required to turn onto a different heading (direction), the standard method is to provide some roll with the ailerons and correct any out of balance with the rudder. Loss of height in a turn is corrected with pitch and speed is maintained above stall speed with engine power.

Early aircraft were not always flown with modern conventional control and flying techniques, so describing the ailerons as providing lateral control is ambiguous.

The photo appears to show a vertical fin at the rear with rudder and from other unverifiable sources I found what looks like an original drawing of the F.E.1 showing a rudder. Farman III type aircraft also had rudders. I would propose changing the text about the ailerons to say "Roll control..." rather than "Lateral control..." unless anyone has a reasonable objection. Lkingscott (talk) 10:40, 11 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]