Plain English Meaning

A bellcrank is a small angled lever that pivots in the middle. When a cable or rod pulls on one end, the other end moves in a different direction. Aircraft use them inside the wings and fuselage to redirect the pull of control cables so the pilot's stick or yoke movement reaches the right control surface.

Full Definition

Bellcranks are pivoting, angled levers used in aircraft control systems to change the direction of a control input and, in some cases, alter the mechanical advantage. Cables or pushrods attach to the ends of the bellcrank, which rotates around a fixed pivot point so that motion arriving from one direction is redirected to another, transferring inputs from the to the , , or .