What are the three classifications used for static/dynamic stability?

• A. Positive
• B. Neutral
• C. Negative
• D. Positive, Neutral, and Negative

Answer: (D)

When evaluating how an aircraft responds to a disturbance, you describe its behavior in three possible ways. The three classifications used for both static and dynamic stability are positive, neutral, and negative.

For static stability, positive means the immediate tendency after a disturbance is to return toward the original attitude without any control input; neutral means there’s no inherent tendency to return or diverge—the situation stays where it’s displaced; negative means the disturbance tends to push the aircraft further away from its original attitude.

For dynamic stability, positive means the motion after the disturbance damps out over time, bringing the aircraft back toward equilibrium; neutral means the motion neither grows nor damps, so the aircraft remains in the new attitude; negative means the motion grows over time, diverging from the original condition.