Ayoke, alternatively known as acontrol wheel or acontrol column, is a device used forpiloting somefixed-wing aircraft.[1]
Thepilot uses the yoke to control theattitude of the plane, usually in both pitch androll. Rotating the control wheel controls theailerons and the roll axis. Fore and aft movement of the control column controls theelevator and the pitch axis.[1] When the yoke is pulled back, the nose of the aircraft rises. When the yoke is pushed forward, the nose is lowered. When the yoke is turned left, the plane rolls to the left, and when it is turned to the right, the plane rolls to the right.
Small to medium-size aircraft, usually limited to propeller-driven, feature a mechanical system whereby the yoke is connected directly to the control surfaces with cables and rods. Human muscle power alone is not enough for larger and more powerful aircraft, so hydraulic systems are used, in which yoke movements control hydraulic valves and actuators. In more modern aircraft, inputs may first be sent to afly-by-wire system, which then sends a corresponding signal toactuators attached to the aileron booster systems and control surfaces. Yokes may feature astick shaker, which is designed to help indicate the onset ofstall, or even astick pusher, which physically pushes the yoke to prevent a stall.
Yokes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most common being of a "U" or "W" design. Some aircraft use a "ram's horn" style yoke, shaped like an "M", such asEmbraer aircraft and theConcorde. There are some rarer exotic or archaic styles, such as circular or semi-circular designs, much like asteering wheel.
In larger aircraft they are usually on a post protruding vertically from the floor, referred to as a control column. In most other planes, they are pivot point mounted on a horizontal tube that comes out of the instrument panel.
In the case of theCirrus SR20 andCirrus SR22, although the control looks like aside stick, it works like a yoke handle (referred to in the industry as a "side yoke").[2][3][4] TheCessna 162 uses a similar device.[5][6]
Side-sticks andcentre-sticks are better for making rapid control inputs and dealing with highg-forces, hence their use in military, sport, and aerobatic aircraft. However, yokes are less sensitive (i.e., more precise) due to a larger range of motion and provide more visual feedback to the pilot.[7]
Most yokes are connected and will both move together, thus providing instant indication to the other pilot when one makes a control input. This is in contrast to some fly-by-wire control sticks that allow each pilot to send different, and sometimes greatly conflicting, inputs. Competing inputs are signaled on Airbus craft.
Yokes take up more room than side-sticks in the cockpit and may even obscure some instruments; by comparison, side-sticks have minimal cockpit intrusion, allowing the inclusion of retractable tray-tables and making it easier to enter/leave small cockpits.[8][9]
A yoke, unlike a side-stick, may be used comfortably with either hand. This can be useful if one needs to write or manipulate other controls in the cockpit. This advantage is shared with the center-stick.[7]
The yoke often incorporates other key functions such as housing thumb or finger buttons to enable theradio microphone, disengage theautopilot, andtrim the aircraft. In addition, there may be a clipboard, checklist, orchronometer located in the yoke's center.[10][11][12][13]
Yokes are not used on all aircraft.Airships use aship's wheel,helicopters use acyclic,[14] and the majority of militaryfighter aircraft use acenter orside-stick. Some light aircraft use a stick due to pilot preference. The latest Airbus family of passenger jets use a side-stick, similar to ajoystick, to actuate control surfaces.[15][16]
There are alsocomputerinput devices designed to simulate a yoke, intended forflight simulators.
... sidesticks don't provide visual feedback and actually don't move much at all as they respond to the pressure applied by the human pilot ... in the G650 when you grab the yoke and move it, the one on the other side will respond just as it does on a conventional airplane.