Vertical Stability in Fixed Wing UAVs: A Review

Om Pande

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.58371

Vertical Stability in Fixed Wing UAVs: A Review

Author(s)	Om Pande
Country	India
Abstract	For both traditional airplanes and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), yaw—angular movement around the vertical axis—is the result of wind gusts, asymmetric thrust, or control surface deflection. While roll and pitch dynamics are long known and well stabilized with well-established control structures, yaw stabilization has been relatively less studied. This disparity in research focus has created less mature models, sensing methods, and control algorithms for directional stability control. Yaw angle changes can impose substantial and varying impacts on aerodynamic performance, fuel consumption, and payload performance, particularly during low-speed maneuvering missions, crosswind missions, or precision navigation missions. For high-risk missions such as aerial mapping, surveillance, autonomous landing, and long-endurance loiter operations, minor yaw changes can impact positional accuracy and mission performance. The current lack of a comprehensive understanding of yaw dynamics—relative to roll and pitch—is an opportunity gap in the development of adaptive, high-precision autopilot systems. This opportunity gap must be bridged to improve robustness, efficiency, and reliability in future aircraft and UAV missions. To fully understand this knowledge gap, it is essential to explore and investigate the literature surrounding lateral stability. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of various methodologies for stabilizing the yaw of an aircraft, achieving the stated goal.
Keywords	Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID), Linear-Quadratic-Regulator (LQR), Yaw, Roll, Pitch
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2025
Published On	2025-10-30
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.58371

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Vertical Stability in Fixed Wing UAVs: A Review

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