ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Elevator (aeronautics)

An elevator on an airplane is like a big flap on the back that can move up and down. It helps the airplane go up in the sky or come back down to the ground.

Imagine you are holding a big piece of paper and moving it up and down. When you move it up, it makes the air go down, and when you move it down, it makes the air go up. An airplane's elevator works the same way!

The pilot uses a special control, called a joystick, to move the elevator up or down. When the elevator goes up, the plane goes up. And when the elevator goes down, the plane goes down.

So, if the pilot wants to go higher in the sky, they pull the joystick back to move the elevator up. If they want to come back down, they push the joystick forward to move the elevator down.

Overall, the elevator is an important part of an airplane that helps pilots control the plane's direction and altitude while flying through the sky.
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