Weathervane effect

Weathervaning or weathercocking ^[1] is a phenomenon experienced by aircraft on the ground and rotorcraft on the ground and when hovering.

Aircraft on the ground have a natural pivoting point on a plane through the main landing gear contact points [disregarding the effects of toe in/toe out of the main gear]. As most of the side area of an aircraft will typically be behind this pivoting point, any crosswind will create a yawing moment tending to turn the nose of the aircraft into the wind.^[2][3]

It is not to be confused with directional stability, as experienced by aircraft in flight.^[4]

The term also refers to a similar phenomenon in fin-guided small rockets which, when launched vertically, will tend to turn into a flight path that takes them upwind.^[5]

See also

• Weathervane