Static labelled overviewSelected: Elevators

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Read about Elevator

Guided journey

Core airflow: intake to exhaust

Follow the working fluid through the generic two-spool turbofan before tracing the shafts that return turbine work to the compressors and fan.

Step 1 of 8Intake

The intake presents the incoming air to the fan.

Trace the system

What connects to this part?

Select a turbofan flow-path or spool component to show its reviewed upstream and downstream links.

Identify the part

Find it in the model

Test spatial recall with the four reviewed low-pressure-system concepts.

Compare mode

See the difference

Comparison

Compare where each high-lift device sits and how it changes the wing.

Compare	Trailing-edge flap	Leading-edge slat
Location	Inboard trailing edge	Wing leading edge
Primary effect	Increases camber and often area	Opens a slot that delays separation
Exam distinction	Adds substantial lift and drag	Helps sustain attached flow at high angle of attack

Reviewed FAA source (2026-09-09)

Elevator

An elevator is a primary flight-control surface that controls pitch about the aircraft’s lateral axis.

Where it is: Hinged to the horizontal stabilizer at the tail of the generic transport-aircraft model.
What it does: Its deflection changes the aerodynamic force at the tail and therefore the aircraft’s pitching moment.
Relationship: The elevator moves relative to the stabilizer and forms the main pitch-control surface in this conventional-tail model.
Common confusion: The elevator is the movable control surface; the horizontal stabilizer is the larger stabilizing surface to which it is attached.

Check yourself

Without looking back, can you explain where the elevator is, what it does, and which component drives it or is driven by it?

Scope: Generic transport-aircraft teaching model. Reviewed 2026-09-09.

Related concepts

Sources

FAA Pilot’s Handbook: Flight Controls