The tail assembly, or empennage, is the rear part of the airplane. Control surfaces
on the empennage help to control and manoeuver the aircraft. The tail usually has a fixed
horizontal piece (called the horizontal stabilizer) and a fixed vertical piece (called the
vertical stabilizer). The stabilizers’ job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it
flying straight. The vertical stabilizer keeps the nose of the plane from swinging side to
side, while the horizontal stabilizer prevents an up-and-down motion of the nose. At the
rear, the hinged part of the vertical stabilizer is called therudder and is used to deflect
the tail to the left and right as viewed from the front of the fuselage. The hinged part of
the horizontal stabilizer is called the elevator and is used to deflect the tail up and
down