Why This Airplane Feels So Heavy

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Have you ever wondered why some airplanes feel like you're wrestling the air and others feel like it's reading your mind?

[00:00:06]I've flown airplanes where you work for every control input and I've flown airplanes where you just think about rolling and the airplane snaps into it.

[00:00:15]Kind of like the T-38.

[00:00:17]Today I'm going to show you exactly why that happens and the answer is sitting right there on the control surface.

[00:00:25]So let's take a look at two very different airplanes. My Great Lakes biplane designed back in 1929 and something like a Pitts Special designed decades later for serious aerobatics. The Great Lakes was one of the first real aerobatic airplanes until it was kind of supplanted by the Pitts which was supplanted by the Extras, but I digress.

[00:00:48]Now at first glance, they both look like classic biplanes, but if you look closely at the ailerons, the elevator and the rudder, you'll notice something very important. The Great Lakes is clean, simple, no extra pieces hanging off the control surfaces. The Pitts, it's got these little paddles out there in front of the ailerons called spades.

[00:01:10]And you see balance horns sticking forward on the tail.

[00:01:14]These little differences completely change how the airplane flies.

[00:01:19]Now here's the key idea. In my Great Lakes, the air is actually fighting me.

[00:01:25]Every time I move the stick, it pushes a control surface into the airflow and the air is trying to push it right back to neutral. I guess this is kind of my exercise while I'm flying routine.

[00:01:37]There's nothing helping me, no aerodynamic assist, no balance, it's just me, cables and air loads. Now on the Pitts, it's the opposite. Those spades and balance horns stick out in the airflow ahead of the hinge line.

[00:01:51]And that they do in an incredible fashion. They actually help move the control surface. So instead of fighting the air, now the air is working with you.

[00:02:03]Let me break it down in simple terms that even I can understand.

[00:02:07]On the Great Lakes, the hinge line is right at the front of the control surface. The entire surface sits behind it.

[00:02:14]So when the air hits it, it creates resistance. That's what you feel in the stick, pure aerodynamic load and that's why the controls feel heavier, especially as the speed builds. Now on something like a Pitts, part of the control surface or those spades are actually ahead of the hinge line.

[00:02:33]So when the air hits them, it creates a force that helps you deflect the control. It's kind of like power steering, but purely aerodynamic. That's why a Pitts has that light, quick and almost telepathic feel.

[00:02:48]Now here's what that means in the cockpit. Flying the Great Lakes, you're very connected to the airplane. You feel everything. The control forces build naturally with speed. It's honest, it's predictable and it's actually pretty hard to over control. It's like driving an old sports car with manual steering.

[00:03:08]You've got to put some muscle in it, but you know exactly what the airplane is doing. Now get in a Pitts and suddenly everything is light, quick, responsive.

[00:03:17]You move the stick just a little and the airplane moves right now. Roll rates are fast, control inputs are small and if you're not careful, you can over control control it in a heartbeat.

[00:03:28]That airplane is designed to perform.

[00:03:31]Back in 1929, designers weren't chasing extreme aerobatic performance. They wanted simplicity, strength, reliability.

[00:03:41]Speeds were lower and heavier control forces were completely acceptable.

[00:03:46]And there was another big factor, flutter.

[00:03:50]Instead of using mass balances and aerodynamic tricks, they kept things conservative. Simple structure, lower speeds, fewer complications.

[00:04:01]It worked and it's one of the reasons these airplanes are still flying today.

[00:04:07]So here's the bottom line.

[00:04:09]In the Great Lakes, you're moving the airplane through the air. In a Pitts, you're commanding the airplane and the air is helping you do it. Same basic layout, same basic biplane heritage, but two completely different conversations between the pilot and the airflow.

[00:04:27]And once you feel the difference, you'll never look at control surfaces the same way again.

[00:04:33]Next time you walk up to an airplane, take a look at those little details on the control surfaces because they'll tell you exactly how the airplane is going to feel before you ever leave the ground.

[00:04:47]So thanks for watching Aviation Adventures with Captain Ron.