In flight mechanics, “pitching moment” refers to the rotational force that causes an aircraft to pitch (rotate) nose-up or nose-down around its lateral axis. It’s one of the three rotational movements in flight, along with roll (rotation around the longitudinal axis) and yaw (rotation around the vertical axis).
- represents the pitching moment acting on the aircraft. Pitching moment is a measure of the rotational force around the aircraft’s lateral axis, causing the aircraft to pitch (rotate) nose-up or nose-down.
- is the coefficient of pitching moment with respect to the angle of attack (�), which characterizes how the pitching moment changes with changes in angle of attack.
- represents the dynamic pressure of the air.
- is the reference area, often the wing area.
- 0 represents the aircraft’s initial velocity.
- is the moment of inertia of the aircraft around its lateral axis, which quantifies the aircraft’s resistance to rotation.
- is the mean aerodynamic chord, a reference length related to the wing’s geometry.