Why is the rudder at the back

The side force F is applied through the center of pressure of the vertical stabilizer which is some distance L from the aircraft center of gravity.

This creates a torque. With greater rudder deflection to the left as viewed from the back of the aircraft, the force increases to the right. If the pilot reverses the rudder deflection to the right, the aircraft will yaw in the opposite direction. We have chosen to base the deflections on a view from the back of the aircraft towards the nose, because that is the direction in which the pilot is looking. The applets are slowly being updated, but it is a lengthy process.

This page shows an interactive Java applet which allows you to change the angle of the rudder using a slider. You can download your own copy of this simulator for use off line. The program is provided as Yaw. You must save this file on your hard drive and "Extract" the necessary files from Yaw. Click on "Yawview. Just cut a control tab in the rear of the body.

Bend the tab right to make the tail go right and the nose go left, and the airplane will turn to the left when it is flown. A pilot will use both aileron and rudder together to turn an aircraft during flight, with the ailerons imparting roll and the rudder imparting yaw. While the rudder alone would cause the aircraft to turn, it is much more efficient if ailerons are used in conjunction. Using the rudder at low speeds could cause the aircraft to spin unexpectedly, which is very dangerous when flying at low altitudes.

In modern multi-engined aircraft where the engines are positioned on the wings, the rudder can be used to compensate for the yaw effect of having one engine not producing enough thrust or in the event of an engine failure. The rudder is most often used to align the aircraft during takeoff and landing with the runway during crosswinds. While taxiing and during the initial takeoff, planes are steered using a combination of the nosewheel and the rudder.

At very low speeds while on the ground, the rudder is not needed but comes into play when the speed picks up to help prevent yaw. The rudder is a primary flight control surface which controls rotation about the vertical axis of an aircraft. This movement is referred to as "yaw".

The rudder is a movable surface that is mounted on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer or fin. Unlike a boat, the rudder is not used to steer the aircraft; rather, it is used to overcome adverse yaw induced by turning or, in the case of a multi-engine aircraft, by engine failure and also allows the aircraft to be intentionally slipped when required.