This graph displays the relationship of control system friction to airspeed. The vertical axis is the force required to move the controls by pushing or pulling while the horizontal axis represents airspeed. The vertical portion of the “curve” represents the area where (hopefully) small amounts of force do not result in control deflection.

by Greg Lewis

What characteristics make an aircraft a good platform to fly in instrument flight conditions? Much has been written on the subject, including a 1994 article by David Thurston in Aviation Safety’s sister publication, IFR. In this first article of a series, we’ll deal with the subject not trying to answer the question all at once but, instead, with detailed attention to certain specific characteristics. In each article, we’ll describe ways for the non-test pilot to assess their aircraft’s characteristics. …