Elevator — Control Surfaces

(EL-uh-vay-ter) — hinged control surface on the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer, used to pitch the aircraft about its lateral axis. Moves the nose up or down.

How it works

The horizontal stabilizer is a small horizontal wing at the tail. The elevator is its hinged trailing section. When the elevator deflects up, it increases the camber of the tail surface, generating downward lift at the tail. This pivots the nose upward about the lateral axis — a pitch-up. Elevator down has the opposite effect.

The elevator controls angle of attack — the angle between the wing's chord line and the relative wind — which directly determines how much lift the wing produces.

Quick reference

Controls	Pitch (lateral axis)
Location	Trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer
Movement	Single surface, deflects up or down
Pilot input	Fore/aft stick or yoke (pull back = nose up)
What it controls	Angle of attack, not altitude directly

Elevator controls angle of attack, not altitude: Pulling back raises the nose and increases angle of attack — which increases lift — but the aircraft's actual trajectory depends on airspeed and power as well. At constant power, pulling back will eventually trade airspeed for altitude until the aircraft stalls. Altitude is managed with pitch and power together.

Stabilator

Some aircraft use a fully moving horizontal tail — called a stabilator or all-flying tail — instead of a fixed stabilizer with a hinged elevator. The entire surface pivots to control pitch. This design is more effective at high speeds and eliminates the hinge gap, reducing drag.

Related terms

Pitch — the axis the elevator controls
Aileron — controls roll
Rudder — controls yaw
Stall — the consequence of pulling too much elevator

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