What does this control do on new airplanes?
On the last two planes I took, just last week, there was the control shown in this (very blurry, sorry) photo. The planes were Boeing 787-8. It seems to be made of two half-circle buttons.
On the first plane, pressing the half buttons moved the blue light up or down. On the second, nothing happened. Nothing else seemed to change. I paid attention to the window and cabin light but nothing happened. Since these planes had no apparent window shade, I thought the control would operate a mechanism to act as shade.
What is this control for? What is doing something? Could it have been not operational on one or both planes? Seems an unlikely coincidence, particularly since the behavior of the blue light was different.
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What does the control surfaces do on a plane?
Control surfaces are the parts of an airplane the pilot uses to operate it\u2014to taxi, aviate, bank, accelerate, decelerate, and land. By forcing differences in air pressure, these parts of the aircraft use the air surrounding it (air pressure) to take whatever action the pilot wishes.What are the controls of a plane?
The ailerons, elevator (or stabilator), and rudder constitute the primary control system and are required to control an aircraft safely during flight.What are the 4 control surfaces in an airplane?
Every aircraft, whether an airplane, helicopter or rocket, is affected by four opposing forces: Thrust, Lift, Drag and Weight (Fig. 1). Control surfaces, such as the rudder or ailerons, adjust the direction of these forces, allowing the pilot to use them in the most advantageous way possible.What are the 5 control surfaces of an airplane?
Flight control surfaces are devices that allows a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's altitude by using aerodynamics. Main control surfaces include ailerons, rudders, and elevators. Secondary control surfaces include spoilers, flaps, slats, and air brakes.Aircraft Control Surfaces Explained | Ailerons, flaps, elevator, rudder and more
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Images: Mike B, Mike B, Max Vakhtbovych, Diego Pontes