Definition
A powered aircraft, certificated under FAA rules as a light-sport aircraft, that is controlled in flight by the pilot shifting their body weight relative to a fixed wing. It has no ailerons, elevator, or rudder; pitch and roll are achieved by moving a control bar attached to the wing, which changes the relationship between the wing and the carriage hanging beneath it.
Plain English
A small aircraft, often called a trike, that has a hang-glider-style wing above and a seat or carriage hanging below. The pilot steers by pushing and pulling on a bar to shift their weight, which tilts the wing and changes the direction of flight.
Context Anchor
Seen in light-sport aircraft rules, pilot certificate privileges, aircraft category discussions, and training for trike-style aircraft.
Derivation
The name describes the control method directly: the aircraft is controlled by shifting weight rather than by moving control surfaces. Including this in the term itself helps distinguish it from conventional fixed-wing aircraft, which use ailerons, an elevator, and a rudder.
Why Pilots Care
Gives simple, intuitive handling in lightweight recreational aircraft without complex mechanical controls.
Analogy
Think of a hang glider with an engine and a small wheeled cart hanging beneath it. The pilot sits in the cart and moves a bar to lean the wing the way they want to go.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as any aircraft that is affected by weight and balance. In this term, weight-shift-control means the normal flight controls work by shifting the aircraft’s weight relative to the wing.
Example Sentence 1
To act as pilot in command of a weight-shift-control aircraft, the pilot must hold the appropriate category and class rating on their certificate.
Example Sentence 2
Weight-shift-control aircraft are often used for initial flight training because their handling directly shows how center-of-gravity changes affect flight path.