Recovery from a stall becomes more difficult when its center of gravity moves aft.

Recovery from a stall becomes more difficult when its center of gravity moves aft.

• A. The recovery becomes easier as the center of gravity moves aft.
• B. Recovery from a stall becomes more difficult when the center of gravity moves aft.
• C. Recovery from a stall becomes easier when the center of gravity moves forward.
• D. Recovery is unaffected by center of gravity position.

Answer: (B)

Center of gravity position directly affects pitch stability and how effective the elevator is during a stall. To recover from a stall you need to reduce angle of attack by pushing the nose down and add power. When the center of gravity is farther aft, the airplane becomes less stable in pitch and the tail’s restoring effect changes, so a given elevator input provides less nose-down moment than with a forward CG. As a result, you must apply stronger or more deliberate control and power to break the stall and keep the nose down. That makes stall recovery more difficult with an aft CG. If the CG were forward, the airplane would be more stable and respond more readily to nose-down input, making recovery easier.

Center of gravity position directly affects pitch stability and how effective the elevator is during a stall. To recover from a stall you need to reduce angle of attack by pushing the nose down and add power. When the center of gravity is farther aft, the airplane becomes less stable in pitch and the tail’s restoring effect changes, so a given elevator input provides less nose-down moment than with a forward CG. As a result, you must apply stronger or more deliberate control and power to break the stall and keep the nose down. That makes stall recovery more difficult with an aft CG. If the CG were forward, the airplane would be more stable and respond more readily to nose-down input, making recovery easier.