[muse]: annoyances

In a recent book I read (The Changeling Plague), there was a short sequence where the protagonist and a group of her allies took a couple of short plane rides to and from one of the book's main locations. The aircraft in question was a DeHavilland amphibian of some stripe or another; I'd need to go back and check for the actual model. This was all well and good, up until the point where the pilot had to land the plane.

Not once, but three times, the author made reference to the pilot 'pulling back on the flaps' to land. This is an example of something that bothers me about aviation in fiction--most authors don't actually spend the TIME to learn what the control surfaces of an aircraft ARE, or what they DO.

( In which muse rants for a while about what flaps are and aren't. )

In summary:
Not all control surfaces on an aircraft are flaps!
Flaps are on the inner half of the trailing edge of wing. They are controlled by a hydraulic or electrical (rarely manual) system. Their purpose is to increase the area of the wing and the drag on the aircraft to allow it to fly slower without stalling.
Ailerons are on the outer half of the trailing edge of the wing. They are controlled by the yoke, and control the roll of the aircraft. They operate differentially, and cause the plane to turn.
Elevators are on the straight part of the tail. They are controlled by the yoke. They control the pitch of the aircraft, and cause it to climb or descend.
Rudder is on the airplane's vertical stabilizer, a part of the tail. It is controlled by the foot pedals, and mediates the yaw of the aircraft, or its side-to-side orientation in the air.
Ruddervaters are found in V-tailed aircraft.
Trim tabs are used to trim out control forces, and can be found on the rudder, the elevators, or the ailerons.
Spoilers or speed brakes are on the main body of the wings. They allow the plane to slow down rapidly.

muse