PLT476: Stabilizers and Stabilators
What code PLT476 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Stabilizers and Stabilators before your checkride.
Recall stabilizer - purpose / operation
What this means for your checkride
The horizontal stabilizer provides longitudinal (pitch) stability and carries the elevator; some airplanes use a one-piece movable stabilator instead. The vertical stabilizer provides directional (yaw) stability and carries the rudder. The tail keeps the airplane pointed into the relative wind and resists unwanted pitch and yaw.
The stabilizers give the airplane its stability, so the FAA tests their purpose and how a stabilator differs from a fixed stabilizer with an elevator.
Pilots think the tail only steers. Its primary role is stability; a stabilator combines the stabilizer and elevator into one moving surface and often uses an anti-servo tab to prevent overcontrol.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.