Photography by Mike Fizer
Starting since at least the Curtiss 1 in 1909, aircraft have featured a yoke, or control wheel, to bank the airplane with the ailerons and pitch it with the elevator. Those early aircraft featured what approximated a car steering wheel, whereas most of today’s aircraft have half a wheel. The function is the same. Push forward and the aircraft goes down, pull back and it goes up. Turn the yoke left and the aircraft banks left, turn right and it banks right. This type of aircraft control corresponds closely to what pilots are used to experiencing on the ground.
In typical light aircraft with dual yokes, the yokes are directly connected so that moving one moves the other. Behind each tube that comes out of the panel is a sprocket, and a chain connects the sprockets that drive both simultaneously.
Hands on
Cockpit controls
Up, down, left, right
Yoke
A yoke can be panel-mounted, floor-mounted, and be in a typical U-shape or a less popular M design. They can hold push-to-talk, autopilot, radio frequency flip-flop, and all kinds of other switches.
Stick
Many pilots, including this one, find a stick to a be a superior flying experience. Instead of a turning and pushing or pulling motion, a stick allows for one smooth control motion. A stick in one hand and throttle in another is the purest form of flying.
Side yoke
It looks like a stick but functions like a yoke. Popularized in general aviation by Cirrus, the side yoke has distinct pushing, pulling, and turning motions, but looks like a stick and feels like one in the hand.
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