What will wind in the Weathercock Stability region cause the aircraft to do?

What will wind in the Weathercock Stability region cause the aircraft to do?

• A. Weathervane into the wind
• B. Turn away from the wind
• C. Spin out of control
• D. Hover facing into wind with no yaw

Answer: (A)

In weathercock stability, the aircraft tends to align itself with the relative wind, just like a weather vane. When wind comes from the side, the vertical surfaces and fuselage create a yawing moment that nudges the nose to point into the wind, damping any sideslip. That passive tendency is what makes the aircraft weathervane into the wind. So the best answer is that the wind will cause the aircraft to weathervane into the wind. The other options don’t fit this behavior: turning away from the wind would require instability in yaw, spinning out of control isn’t a normal consequence of this stable region, and hovering with zero yaw while facing into the wind ignores the natural yaw toward wind alignment that wind forces produce.

In weathercock stability, the aircraft tends to align itself with the relative wind, just like a weather vane. When wind comes from the side, the vertical surfaces and fuselage create a yawing moment that nudges the nose to point into the wind, damping any sideslip. That passive tendency is what makes the aircraft weathervane into the wind.

So the best answer is that the wind will cause the aircraft to weathervane into the wind. The other options don’t fit this behavior: turning away from the wind would require instability in yaw, spinning out of control isn’t a normal consequence of this stable region, and hovering with zero yaw while facing into the wind ignores the natural yaw toward wind alignment that wind forces produce.