I know there are two pedals but unless you are flying an Ercoupe, D18 or B24... there's usually only one rudder. I don't know, it just bugs me. If you're doing it - stop.
Okay, I'll stop calling them rudders. But elevators are flippers from now on... You happy? fly to the scene of the incident, or be recovered at the scene of the tragedy
People call them 'rudders'? I don't know that I've noticed this. Rudder, rudder pedals. Maybe a regional thing?
To be proper it could be context related. Talking about that deal that sticks up on the back of the plane is singular. The pedals found at your feet that controls it are plural. Don’t sweat the small stuff! There are MANY things in aviation that are deadly serious, but this isn’t one of them.
I've seen people write it that way on here and I notice it every time. I don't mention it usually because pick your battles and all that, but I do notice it.
Why when you get a pair of gloves or a pair of socks, you get two, but when you get a pair of pants, it's only one? Then why isn't it a pair of bras?
Or referring to a pilot certificate as a license. Sorry, that was a slowball right across the plate, I had to swing.
Haven't noticed it either. I save my high BP episodes for people, esp journalists, who insist on adding an s to aircraft to make it plural.
I generally use this site to grow and correct as I am still a newbie. I can honestly say I’ve never heard the rudder called rudders.
I remember on my first helicopter training flight I said rudder pedals. “They’re not rudder pedals, they’re anti-torque pedals!” Lighten up Francis.
I put it down to the hangover from wartime materials shortages. Probably went something like this: "Aluminum hard to find? Let's make them out of magnesium instead. And let's put just two of them on the plane and see if anybody notices. And just think what's going to happen in 60 years when most of these are Swiss cheese and owners are bidding the few good ones into the stratosphere, chuckle."