There are 3 different axis that an aircraft must be stable in order to fly. There has to be Directional, Lateral, and longitudinal stability. In order to keep all these axis in control there are different parts of aircraft that handle different axis.
| Vertical | Lateral | Longitudinal |
| The vertical tail fin controls Directional Stability. This movement is called "yawing". | Lateral stability is controlled by a special wing shape called the dihedral. This is when the wings are slightly shaped upward similar to a slight "V" shape. This prevents the aircraft from rolling. If rolling occurs the angle of attack of the wing that is going down will increase, and the wing will be pushed upward until the aircraft is level. This is same with the other wing. | Longitudinal stability prevents the aircraft from doing dips or nose-ups. The part of the airplane that holds longitudinal stability is the horizontal stabilizer. |
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