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Weathervane effect


Weathervaning or weathercocking is a phenomenon experienced by fixed wing aircraft on the ground and rotorcraft on the ground and when hovering.

Aircraft on the ground have a natural pivoting point on an axis through the main landing gear contact points [disregarding the effects of toe in/toe out of the main gear]. As most of the side area of an aircraft will typically be behind this pivoting point, any crosswind will create a yawing moment tending to turn the nose of the aircraft into the wind.

It is not to be confused with directional stability, as experienced by aircraft in flight.



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Wikipedia

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