A movable surface on a sailplane designed to change the direction of flight. May be used alone, or in combination. See aileron, flaps, rudder, elevator. The upward angle of the wings, as seen from the nose. Dihedral enhances stability.
Trainers tend to have high dihedral, but aerobats have little or none.
Moving the elevator makes the plane climb or dive. The control surface on a wing closest to the fuselage. Moves up or down, to increase lift or drag. The long, narrow body of a sailplane. The distance traveled in a horizontal direction compared with the vertical distance dropped on a normal glide.