Question

For directional stability, an airplane tends to weathervane back to a stable position due to:

Answer 1

An airplane tends to weathervane back to a stable position due to the wind's effect on its total velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

An airplane tends to weathervane back to a stable position due to the wind's effect on its total velocity.

When an airplane is flying, it experiences a combination of crosswind and headwind. This results in a total velocity that is less than its velocity relative to the air mass and in a different direction.

The wind's speed and direction have a significant effect on the airplane's total velocity, and this causes the airplane to weathervane back to a stable position.