Spoilerons are wing-mounted control surfaces that aid in turning, lowering, and braking operations. They reduce lift potential, making it easier for ailerons to deflect the inner wing downward during a roll maneuver. Spoilers are also used to speed descent and as a braking aid during landing.
A spoileron is a control surface on the wing of an aircraft that aids in turning, lowering, and braking operations. These are typically small fin assemblies that sit flush along the upper surface of the wing when inoperative and rise into the over-wing airflow when activated. This has the effect of destroying or “spoiling” a certain amount of the wing’s lift potential. This effect provides supplemental input to the main roll control surfaces when turning the aircraft. The spoileron also increases descent speeds and reduces the potential for runway lift upon landing, which increases braking potential.
More commonly known as spoilers, the spoileron is a wing-mounted control surface found on all heavy commercial aircraft and many smaller aircraft. It usually consists of sets of oblong hinged flaps located toward the center of the upper surface of the wing. They are hinged in such a way that they rise towards the trailing or trailing edge of the wing presenting an obstruction to air flowing over the wing. Spoileron kits on heavy commercial aircraft can be deployed manually via a lever on the flight deck or automatically as part of the aircraft’s braking or banking actions.
Level flight is based on a balanced ratio of lift on both wings, which is a product of the ratio of air flowing above and below the wing. When pitching or turning, one wing droops to the inside of the radius of gyration and the outer wing rises. The main control surfaces responsible for this action are the ailerons located on the trailing edge of the wings towards their tips. By drooping, the inner wing aileron is raised above the wing surface so that air traveling over the top can push against it and force the wing downward. The wing’s outer aileron will move down so air traveling under the wing can push and lift it.
Although this may seem like an efficient way to get the aircraft to roll, there is a problem with using ailerons alone. During the roll maneuver, both wings continue to produce nearly equal amounts of lift, so the deflecting wing fights against aileron input. To counteract this effect, the spoilers on the inner wing are raised at the same time. This has the effect of altering the airflow over the top of the wing and reducing its lift potential. This makes it much easier for the aileron to deflect the inner wing downward, improving the aircraft’s turn response time and putting less stress on the wing.
Spoilers are also used when planes start to descend. An aircraft is generally raised or lowered by using the elevator controls in the tail to pitch the nose up or down. Aircraft often have to descend quite quickly to maintain their flight plan descent profiles. This normally requires a pronounced nose down attitude which would generally be annoying to passengers. To speed descent, spoilers are deployed, usually manually from the flight deck, on both wings to remove some of the wings’ lift potential; This causes the plane to fall vertically, as well as along its glide path. This also allows for descent rates of several thousand feet per minute with minimal downward tilt; Although it may induce some slapping, it does increase passenger comfort.
The last use of the spoileron is a braking aid when landing. This is typically an automated process initiated by the aircraft’s automatic flight system. As soon as the plane’s main gear contacts the runway, the spoilers fully deploy, killing wing lift. This causes the aircraft to sit completely on the runway, allowing for maximum braking efficiency.
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