Which of the following is NOT a primary flight control?

Which of the following is NOT a primary flight control?

• A. Ground Spoilers
• B. Ailerons
• C. Rudder
• D. Elevator

Answer: (A)

Primary flight controls are the surfaces a pilot uses to directly change the airplane’s attitude: pitch, roll, and yaw. The elevator controls pitch, the ailerons control roll, and the rudder controls yaw. Ground spoilers aren’t used to steer or tilt the aircraft in normal flight; they’re lift-dumping and braking devices that deploy on the ground (and sometimes as non-primary speed brakes in flight). Because the others directly govern attitude in flight, Ground Spoilers are not primary flight controls.

Primary flight controls are the surfaces a pilot uses to directly change the airplane’s attitude: pitch, roll, and yaw. The elevator controls pitch, the ailerons control roll, and the rudder controls yaw. Ground spoilers aren’t used to steer or tilt the aircraft in normal flight; they’re lift-dumping and braking devices that deploy on the ground (and sometimes as non-primary speed brakes in flight). Because the others directly govern attitude in flight, Ground Spoilers are not primary flight controls.