Which axis of rotation does the elevator channel control?

Which axis of rotation does the elevator channel control?

• A. Pitch
• B. Roll
• C. Yaw
• D. Heave

Answer: (A)

Pitch is the rotation about the lateral axis. The elevator is the movable horizontal stabilizer surface that tilts up or down, causing the nose of the aircraft to rise or descend. That nose-up or nose-down moment is exactly a rotation about the horizontal (lateral) axis that runs wing to wing. Roll, which rotates about the longitudinal axis, is controlled by the ailerons; yaw, about the vertical axis, is controlled by the rudder; heave refers to vertical translation, not a rotation. So the elevator channel governs pitch.

Pitch is the rotation about the lateral axis. The elevator is the movable horizontal stabilizer surface that tilts up or down, causing the nose of the aircraft to rise or descend. That nose-up or nose-down moment is exactly a rotation about the horizontal (lateral) axis that runs wing to wing. Roll, which rotates about the longitudinal axis, is controlled by the ailerons; yaw, about the vertical axis, is controlled by the rudder; heave refers to vertical translation, not a rotation. So the elevator channel governs pitch.