What are elevons?

Elevons are special flaps on some planes that help them turn and stay balanced.

Imagine you're playing with a toy car. When you want it to turn left, you steer the wheel left. On a plane, elevons work like a combination of steering wheels and flaps. They're attached to both the front and back of the wings, kind of like having two sets of flaps that can move together or in opposite directions.

When a plane wants to turn, one side of the elevon moves up while the other moves down. This creates more lift on one side than the other, making the plane tilt and turn, just like when you lean left or right to make your bike go around a corner.

Sometimes they also help the plane go up or down, like when you're riding in a elevator that goes to the top floor or comes back down. That’s why they’re called elevons, a mix of elevator (for going up and down) and aileron (for turning).

Elevons are especially helpful on planes that don’t have separate flaps or rudders, like some small airplanes or drones!