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A rudder operates by redirecting the fluid past the hull or fuselage, thus imparting a turning or yawing motion to the craft. In basic form, a rudder is a flat plane or sheet of material attached with hinges to the craft's stern, tail, or afterend. Often rudders are shaped to minimize hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag.
The rudder may also be called upon to counter-act the adverse yaw produced by the roll-control surfaces. If rudder is continuously applied in level flight the aircraft will yaw initially in the direction of the applied rudder – the primary effect of rudder. After a few seconds the aircraft will tend to bank in the direction of yaw.
During the 1990s, a series of issues affecting the rudder of Boeing 737 passenger aircraft resulted in multiple incidents. In two separate accidents (United Airlines Flight 585 and USAir Flight 427), pilots lost control of their aircraft due to a sudden and unexpected rudder movement, and the resulting crashes killed everyone on board, 157 people in total. [1]
United said last month the rudder control parts at issue were in use in only nine of its 737 aircraft originally built for other airlines and the components were all removed earlier this year.
The National Transportation Safety Board has more concerns about Boeing's planes. It said at least 40 airlines outside the US may be operating aircraft with risky rudder parts.
Balanced rudders are used by both ships [1] and aircraft. Both may indicate a portion of the rudder surface ahead of the hinge, placed to lower the control loads needed to turn the rudder. For aircraft the method can also be applied to elevators and ailerons ; all three aircraft control surfaces may also be mass balanced , chiefly to avoid ...