Which motion is the Aileron primarily used to control?

• A. Pitch
• B. Yaw
• C. Aileron
• D. Roll

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is how the ailerons affect the aircraft’s rotation around its front-to-back axis, which is called roll. When you move the control yoke or stick to bank the wings, the ailerons deflect in opposite directions: one wing’s aileron goes up and the other goes down. This creates more lift on one wing and less on the other, tipping the aircraft and causing it to roll. That rolling motion is what the ailerons primarily control, allowing the airplane to bank and begin a turn.

The elevator controls pitch, rotating the nose up or down about the wings’ lateral axis, and the rudder controls yaw, turning the nose left or right about the vertical axis. The option that names a motion associated with the ailerons is roll, not pitch or yaw, and “aileron” itself isn’t a motion.