Directional Stability
Directional or weathercock stability is concerned with the static stability of the airplane about the z axis. Just as in the case of longitudial stability it is desirable that the aircraft should tend to return to an equilibrium condition when subjected to someform of yawing disturbance. For this the slope of the yawing moment curve must be positive. An airplane posseing this mode of stability will always point towards the relative wind, hence the name weathercock stability.
Read more about this topic: Flight Dynamics (fixed Wing Aircraft)
Famous quotes containing the word stability:
“Two things in America are astonishing: the changeableness of most human behavior and the strange stability of certain principles. Men are constantly on the move, but the spirit of humanity seems almost unmoved.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)