Yoke ( aeronautics ) - wikipedia Yoke ( aeronautics ) The `` W '' shaped control yoke of a Boeing 737. Note the checklists for before takeoff to landing in the middle. Collection of control yokes at Boeing Future of Flight Museum : 747, 707, B - 29, Trimotor. The former two yokes are `` W '' shaped, while the latter two are circular. The cockpit of Concorde, which has an `` M '' - shaped yoke mounted on a control column. The cockpit of an Embraer ERJ with an `` M '' - shaped yoke. `` W '' / `` U '' style yoke in a Cessna 152 light aircraft, mounted on a horizontal tube protruding from the instrumental panel. Circular, steering - wheel type yoke in a 1940s Lisunov Li - 2. Cirrus SR22 panel showing both side yokes. Cessna 162 Skycatcher Instrument panel. A yoke, alternatively known as a control wheel is a device used for piloting some fixed - wing aircraft. The pilot uses the yoke to control the attitude of the plane, usually in both pitch and roll. Rotating the control wheel controls the ailerons and the roll axis. Fore and aft movement of the control column controls the elevator and the pitch axis. When the yoke is pulled back the nose of the aircraft rises. When the yoke is pushed forward the nose is lowered. When the yoke is turned left the plane rolls to the left and when it is turned to the right the plane rolls to the right. Small to medium - size aircraft, usually limited to propeller driven, feature a mechanical system whereby the yoke is connected directly to the control surfaces with cables and rods. Human muscle power alone is not enough for larger and more powerful aircraft, so hydraulic systems are used, in which yoke movements control hydraulic valves and actuators. In more modern aircraft, inputs may first be sent to a fly - by - wire system, which then sends a corresponding signal to actuators attached to the control surfaces. Yokes may feature a stick shaker, which is designed to help indicate the onset of stall, or even a stick pusher, which assists in stall recovery. Contents 1 Styles 2 Advantages and disadvantages 3 Ancillary functions 4 Alternative control systems 5 See also 6 References Styles This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2010 ) Yokes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common being of a `` U '' or `` W '' design. Some aircraft use an `` M '' style, such as Embraer and Concorde. There are some rarer exotic or archaic styles, such as circular designs much like a steering wheel. In larger aircraft they are usually mounted on a post protruding vertically from the floor, referred to as a control column. In most other planes, they are mounted on a horizontal tube that comes out of the instrument panel. In the case of Cirrus SR20 and Cirrus SR22, although the control looks like a side stick, It works like a yoke handle ( referred to in the industry as a `` side yoke '' ). Cessna 162 use a slightly similar approach. Advantages and disadvantages Side - sticks and centre - sticks are better for making rapid control inputs and dealing with high g - forces, hence their use in military, sport, and aerobatic aircraft. However, yokes are less sensitive ( i.e., more precise ) thanks to a larger range of motion and provide more visual feedback to the pilot. Most yokes are connected and will both move together, thus providing instant indication to the other pilot when one makes a control input. This is in contrast to some fly - by - wire control sticks that allow each pilot to send different, and sometimes greatly conflicting, inputs ; these have been known to be responsible for the crash of an Airbus A330 in 2009. Yokes take up more room than side - sticks in the cockpit, and may even obscure some instruments ; by comparison, side - sticks have minimal cockpit intrusion, allowing for the inclusion of retractable tray - tables and making it easier to enter / leave small cockpits. A yoke, unlike a side - stick, may be used comfortably with either hand. This can be useful if one needs to write or manipulate other controls in the cockpit. This advantage is shared with the centre - stick. Ancillary functions The yoke often incorporates other key functions such as housing thumb or finger buttons to enable the radio microphone, disengage the autopilot, and trim the aircraft. In addition, there may be a clipboard, checklist, or chronometer located in the yoke 's centre. Alternative control systems Yokes are not used on all aircraft. Helicopters use a cyclic and the majority of military fighter aircraft use a centre or side - stick. Some light aircraft use a stick because some sport pilots prefer that control system. The latest Airbus family of passenger jets use a side - stick, not unlike a joystick, to actuate control surfaces. There are also computer input devices designed to simulate a yoke, intended for flight simulators. See also Aircraft flight control system HOTAS, Hands On Throttle - And - Stick Joystick, computer input device References ^ Jump up to : Crane, Dale : Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition, page 563. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ISBN 1 - 56027 - 287 - 2 Jump up ^ `` 10 Ways that the SR22 Changed Flying ''. Flying Magazine. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Detailed Comparison of the Cessna TTx and Cirrus SR22T G5 High Performance Aviation, LLC ''. High Performance Aviation. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Flight Test : G5 Cirrus SR22T ''. Pilot. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ Larson, George C. `` A Flight In A Skycatcher ''. Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Aircraft Spotlight : The Cessna 162 Skycatcher - A Modern, Cost Effective Trainer ''. www.aopa.org. 2017 - 11 - 19. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 19. ^ Jump up to : Mc Clellan, J. Mac ( May 2008 ). `` New Gulfstream, p. 52 ''. Flying Magazine. 135 ( 5 ) : 52 -- 57. Retrieved July 7, 2012... sidesticks do n't provide visual feedback and actually do n't move much at all as they respond to the pressure applied by the human pilot... in the G650 when you grab the yoke and move it, the one on the other side will respond just as it does on a conventional airplane. Jump up ^ `` Is Flight 447 's ' Fly - by - Wire ' Aircraft Technology Safe ? ''. Fox News. 2009 - 06 - 12. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 29. Jump up ^ Ross, Nick ( 2012 - 04 - 28 ), `` Air France Flight 447 : ' Damn it, we 're going to crash ' '', The Daily Telegraph ( article ), It seems surprising that Airbus has conceived a system preventing one pilot from easily assessing the actions of the colleague beside him. And yet that is how their latest generations of aircraft are designed. The reason is that, for the vast majority of the time, side sticks are superb. Jump up ^ `` Learning To Fly In A Cirrus SR22 ''. planeandpilotmag.com Jump up ^ `` Gear Up : One Big Airplane Training in US Airways ' newest A330 simulator ''. flyingmag.com Jump up ^ Picture of the Canadair CL - 600 - 2B19 Regional Jet CRJ - 200ER aircraft Jump up ^ Picture of the Lockheed C - 130H Hercules ( L - 382 ) aircraft Jump up ^ Picture of the McDonnell Douglas DC - 9 - 32 aircraft Jump up ^ Picture of the Beech 58 Baron aircraft Jump up ^ How Helicopters Work Jump up ^ `` Fly - by - wire - A CIVIL AVIATION FIRST ''. Airbus / Innovation / Proven concepts / In design / Fly - by - wire. Airbus. Retrieved 6 July 2012. Jump up ^ Flying the Airbus side stick - the one with the fastest thumb wins ! Aircraft components and systems Airframe structure Aft pressure bulkhead Cabane strut Canopy Cruciform tail Dope Empennage Fabric covering Fairing Flying wires Former Fuselage Hardpoint Interplane strut Jury strut Leading edge Lift strut Longeron Nacelle Rib Ring tail Spar Stabilizer Stressed skin Strut T - tail Tailplane Trailing edge Triple tail Twin tail Vertical stabilizer V - tail Y - tail Wing root Wing tip Wingbox Flight controls Aileron Airbrake Artificial feel Autopilot Canard Centre stick Deceleron Dive brake Electro - hydraulic actuator Elevator Elevon Flaperon Flight control modes Fly - by - wire Gust lock Rudder Servo tab Side - stick Spoiler Spoileron Stabilator Stick pusher Stick shaker Trim tab Wing warping Yaw damper Yoke Aerodynamic and high - lift devices Active Aeroelastic Wing Adaptive compliant wing Blown flap Channel wing Dog - tooth Droop Flap Gouge flap Gurney flap Krueger flap Leading edge cuff LEX Slats Slot Stall strips Strake Variable - sweep wing Vortex generator Vortilon Wing fence Winglet Avionic and flight instrument systems ACAS Air data computer Airspeed indicator Altimeter Annunciator panel Attitude indicator Compass Course deviation indicator EFIS EICAS Flight management system Glass cockpit GPS Heading indicator Horizontal situation indicator INS Pitot - static system Radar altimeter TCAS Transponder Turn and slip indicator Vertical Speed Indicator Yaw string Propulsion controls, devices and fuel systems Autothrottle Drop tank FADEC Fuel tank Gascolator Inlet cone Intake ramp NACA cowling Self - sealing fuel tank Splitter plate Throttle Thrust lever Thrust reversal Townend ring Wet wing Landing and arresting gear Aircraft tire Arrestor hook Autobrake Conventional landing gear Drogue parachute Landing gear Landing gear extender Oleo strut Tricycle landing gear Tundra tire Escape systems Ejection seat Escape crew capsule Other systems Aircraft lavatory Auxiliary power unit Bleed air system Deicing boot Emergency oxygen system Flight data recorder Entertainment system Environmental control system Hydraulic system Ice protection system Landing lights Navigation light Passenger service unit Ram air turbine Weeping wing Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yoke_(aeronautics)&oldid=841999509 '' Categories : Aircraft controls Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2010 Articles needing additional references from May 2010 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Slovenščina Türkçe 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 May 2018, at 14 : 42. 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Question: what's the steering wheel on a plane called
Answer: A yoke, alternatively known as a control wheel