Yoke (aircraft)

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The control yoke of a Boeing 737 aircraft.
The control yoke of a Boeing 737 aircraft.

In aviation, a yoke is a control used in most fixed-wing aircraft, which might be referred to as a steering wheel by people not familiar with aircraft.

The aviator uses the yoke to control the attitude of the plane, usually in both pitch and roll. Rotating the wheel on the yoke rolls the aircraft and pulling or pushing the yoke pitches the aircraft in a natural sense. There are also computer input devices designed to simulate a yoke, intended for flight simulators. Yokes in most larger aircraft are linked to stick shakers which are designed to help indicate and recover from stalling conditions.

The control stick or control column found on modern fighter aircraft is not the same as a yoke. The control stick is a roughly vertical rod or column that is pushed forward and aft for pitch control of the aircraft and left and right for roll control.

The equivalent control in a helicopter is the cyclic.

Collection of control yokes at Boeing Future of Flight Museum 747, Dash-80, B-29, trimotor
Collection of control yokes at Boeing Future of Flight Museum 747, Dash-80, B-29, trimotor
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