Generally an aircraft becomes less controllable, especially at slow flight speeds, as the CG is moved aft.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not affected
• D. Depends on speed

Answer: (A)

Longitudinal stability and controllability hinge on where the center of gravity sits relative to the neutral point. When the CG is moved toward the tail, the restoring moment that tends to bring the nose back to a reference attitude becomes smaller. That means the airplane becomes more pitch-sensitive and less able to damp out disturbances.

At slow flight, aerodynamic forces are weaker, so the tail’s ability to produce corrective moments is reduced. With an aft CG, the combination of reduced stability and weaker control authority makes it harder to hold a steady pitch, maintain airspeed, or recover from a near-stall condition. This is why the aircraft tends to feel less controllable in slow flight when the CG is aft.

So the statement is true.