(Principles of flight: stability about the three axes)
A gust never asks permission. The air an aeroplane flies through is full of small disturbances, and what matters is what the aeroplane does next, on its own, before you touch anything. Stability is the aeroplane's built-in tendency to return to its original flight condition after a disturbance, without action by you. Get this right and the aeroplane almost flies itself; get it wrong and you fight it every second.
Do not confuse stability with controllability, the ease with which you can manoeuvre the aeroplane with the controls. The two pull against each other: a very stable aeroplane resists change, which makes it heavy and tiring to manoeuvre. The designer trades one off against the other to suit the job. A trainer wants enough stability to be forgiving; a fighter wants controllability.
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