Aerodynamics Practice Test

Roll is rotation about the axis that runs along the length of the aircraft—from nose to tail. This lengthwise axis is the longitudinal axis, and when you roll, the wings tilt up on one side and down on the other, changing the bank angle of the airplane.

To put it in context, pitch is rotation about the axis that goes from wingtip to wingtip (the lateral axis), tilting the nose up or down. Yaw is rotation about the vertical axis running top to bottom, turning the nose left or right. In aviation terminology, transverse axis is another way some sources describe the lateral direction, but the standard terms are longitudinal, lateral, and vertical.