How does the pilot steer?
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Steering the Trike on the Ground
The pilot steers with his feet while on the ground. How? The trike’s
front wheel has a throttle and brake, just like a car. To steer, the pilot
pushes the left pedal to go right and the right foot to go left— just
like steering a tricycle.
Steering the Trike in the Air
The pilot uses the control bar to steer while flying. The control bar
forms the bottom of a triangle with the other posts holding the wing to
the aircraft. The top triangular point attaches to the wing and is the
aircraft’s center of gravity. If you want to go left, push out toward
the right to bring the left wingtip down. If you want to climb, push out
to raise the nose of the wing, which allows air underneath to give you
more lift. To go down, pull the control bar in to dip the plane’s
nose, allowing you to descend.
More: Lift and Thrust
Air moving under the wing gives the aircraft lift. The pilot controls
lift by pushing the bar in and out to move the wing. The spinning propeller
(prop) gives the aircraft thrust for forward motion. The pilot controls
the prop with the throttle (the right foot pedal). To power up and climb,
he pushes the throttle with his right foot to get thrust and pushes out
the bar to get lift.
Muscles Needed!
The large wing used later in migration has 19 meters of surface area.
This means the large wing is very heavy. To push 19 meters of surface
area with your arms requires a great deal of upper body strength, especially
when traveling through he air at 38 miles per hour!