A hinged flap on the wing of an airplane that moves up and down to control the aircraft's rolling motion and balance in flight.
From French 'aileron,' a diminutive of 'aile' (wing), literally meaning 'little wing.' Coined in early aviation history (early 1900s) to describe this control surface.
Wilbur and Orville Wright invented ailerons as their key innovation—while others tried to build wings, the Wrights realized controlling the twist of the wing was the secret to powered flight!
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