What are the three conditions of stability that can be experienced by an aircraft?

The three conditions of stability that an aircraft can experience are positive, neutral, and negative stability.

Positive stability means that after being disturbed from its equilibrium position, the aircraft will tend to return to that original position. For example, if an aircraft experiences turbulence and begins to roll, a positively stable aircraft will automatically attempt to roll back to level flight due to its design and aerodynamic characteristics.

Neutral stability refers to a condition where, after a disturbance, the aircraft will neither return to its original position nor continue to move away from it. An example of this would be if an aircraft yawed due to a gust of wind; it simply stays at that new angle without any natural tendency to return to straight flight.

Negative stability occurs when a disturbance results in the aircraft continuing to move away from its original position. For instance, if an aircraft yaws due to turbulence, a negatively stable aircraft might continue to yaw further away, potentially leading to larger oscillations.

This understanding of stability is crucial for flight instructors as it helps them effectively teach students about aircraft behavior during flight maneuvers and the importance of certain design features in preventing undesirable flight characteristics.