Principal Axes
- Vertical axis, or yaw axis — an axis drawn from top to bottom, and perpendicular to the other two axes. Parallel to the fuselage station.
- Lateral axis, transverse axis, or pitch axis — an axis running from the pilot's left to right in piloted aircraft, and parallel to the wings of a winged aircraft. Parallel to the buttock line.
- Longitudinal axis, or roll axis — an axis drawn through the body of the vehicle from tail to nose in the normal direction of flight, or the direction the pilot faces. Parallel to the waterline.
Normally these axes are represented by the letters X, Y and Z in order to compare them with some reference frame, usually named x, y, z. Normally this is made in such a way that the X is used for the longitudinal axis, but there are other possibilities to do it.
Read more about this topic: Aircraft Principal Axes
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