What is Drag? What is Lift? Drag1. Aircraft Yaw Motion. In flight, any aircraft will rotate about its center of gravity, a point which is the average location of the mass of the aircraft. We can define a three dimensional coordinate system through the center of gravity with each axis of this coordinate system perpendicular to the other two axes. We can then define the orientation of the aircraft by the amount of rotation of the parts of the aircraft along these principal axes. The yaw axis is perpendicular to the wings and lies in the plane of the aircraft centerline. A yaw motion is a side to side movement of the nose of the aircraft as shown in the animation. The yawing motion is being caused by the deflection of the rudder of this aircraft. As described on the shape effects slide, changing the angle of deflection at the rear of an airfoil changes the amount of lift generated by the foil.
On all aircraft, the vertical stabilizer and rudder create a symmetric airfoil. Here is a still slide version of this animation: Activities: Navigation .. What is Thrust?