control surface

control surface

n. A movable airfoil, especially a rudder, aileron, or elevator, used to control or guide an aircraft, guided missile, or rocket.

control surface

n (Aeronautics) a movable surface, such as a rudder, elevator, aileron, etc, that controls an aircraft or rocket

control′ sur`face

n. any movable airfoil, as a rudder, flap, or aileron, for guiding or controlling an aircraft or missile in flight.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

control surface - a device that provides reactive force when in motion relative to the surrounding air; can lift or control a plane in flightaerofoil, airfoil, surfaceaileron - an airfoil that controls lateral motiondevice - an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose; "the device is small enough to wear on your wrist"; "a device intended to conserve water"elevator - the airfoil on the tailplane of an aircraft that makes it ascend or descendflaps, flap - a movable airfoil that is part of an aircraft wing; used to increase lift or draghorizontal stabiliser, horizontal stabilizer, tailplane - the horizontal airfoil of an aircraft's tail assembly that is fixed and to which the elevator is hingedleading edge - forward edge of an airfoilrotary wing, rotor blade - the long airfoil that rotates to provide the lift that supports a helicopter in the airrudder - a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changesspoiler - a hinged airfoil on the upper surface of an aircraft wing that is raised to reduce lift and increase dragspoiler - an airfoil mounted on the rear of a car to reduce lift at high speedsstabilizer - airfoil consisting of a device for stabilizing an aircrafttrailing edge - the rear edge of an airfoilvertical tail - the vertical airfoil in the tail assembly of an aircraftwing - one of the horizontal airfoils on either side of the fuselage of an airplane