canards

In aeronautics, control surfaces that are forward of an airplane's main wing (and center of lift/gravity) and act similarly to tailplanes to provide pitch stability and control.

The term canard is derived from the French word for "duck," which was applied to early canard-using aircraft, as observers thought they resembled ducks in flight.

See also

• Wikipedia: "Canard (aeronautics)":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canard_aeronautics