Which axis runs up and down through an aircraft and is associated with yaw?

Which axis runs up and down through an aircraft and is associated with yaw?

• A. Lateral Axis
• B. Longitudinal Axis
• C. Horizontal Axis
• D. Vertical Axis

Answer: (D)

Yaw is the rotation of the aircraft about the vertical axis. This axis runs up and down through the aircraft, typically near the center of gravity, you can think of it as a line from the bottom to the top of the fuselage. When the nose turns left or right, that’s yaw, produced primarily by the rudder deflection which generates a sideways force causing the aircraft to rotate around this vertical line. To connect the other axes: the axis that goes from wingtip to wingtip is the lateral axis, and rotation about it is pitch (nose up or down). The axis from nose to tail is the longitudinal axis, and rotation about it is roll (wings bank up or down). The vertical axis specifically relates to yaw, which is why the vertical axis is the correct choice.

Yaw is the rotation of the aircraft about the vertical axis. This axis runs up and down through the aircraft, typically near the center of gravity, you can think of it as a line from the bottom to the top of the fuselage. When the nose turns left or right, that’s yaw, produced primarily by the rudder deflection which generates a sideways force causing the aircraft to rotate around this vertical line.

To connect the other axes: the axis that goes from wingtip to wingtip is the lateral axis, and rotation about it is pitch (nose up or down). The axis from nose to tail is the longitudinal axis, and rotation about it is roll (wings bank up or down). The vertical axis specifically relates to yaw, which is why the vertical axis is the correct choice.