Editing Crossbow bolt (section)

=== Fletching ===
{{main|Fletching}}
Fletchings, also referred to as ''vanes'', are [[fin]]s located at the rear end of the shaft just before the nock. The fletching is typically made from soft light materials such as [[feather]]s, [[plastic]] or [[silicone rubber]]. They stabilize the trajectory of the bolt via three different means: resisting [[Pitch (aviation)|pitch]]ing and [[yaw (rotation)|yaw]]ing of the shaft by acting like a [[stabilizer fin]] (fin-stabilization); reducing deviation from the [[Flight control surfaces#Longitudinal axis|longitudinal axis]] by creating a back-pulling [[Center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|center of pressure]] behind the bolt's [[center of mass]] ([[Drag (physics)|drag]]-stabilization); and in some particular cases, creating a [[rotation]] around the longitudinal axis (spin-stabilization) by having the fletchings mounted at a slight [[angle of attack]].

There is no rule or formula for determining the length of fletching needed — generally the longer the shaft is, the longer the fletching needs to be, and vice versa.