Which statement correctly describes the three primary flight controls and their effects on aircraft attitude?

• A. Rudder roll, elevator pitch, ailerons yaw.
• B. Elevator roll, rudder pitch, ailerons yaw.
• C. Ailerons roll, rudder yaw, elevator pitch.
• D. Ailerons roll, elevator controls pitch, rudder controls yaw.

Answer: (D)

The three primary flight controls map directly to the three axes of aircraft attitude: roll about the longitudinal axis, pitch about the lateral axis, and yaw about the vertical axis. Ailerons are responsible for roll—they move in opposite directions on the wings to tilt the airplane from side to side. Elevators control pitch by changing the angle of the horizontal stabilizer to raise or lower the nose. Rudder controls yaw by deflecting airflow over the vertical stabilizer to swing the nose left or right. The statement that matches this is: ailerons roll, elevator controls pitch, rudder controls yaw. This correctly assigns each control to its corresponding axis and attitude change. The other options mix up which control affects which axis, such as pairing the elevator with roll or the ailerons with yaw, which would not produce the intended attitude changes.