[hatbert]

There were actually bigger planes, like the Martin JRM Mars (a large WWII flying boat) with a gross takeoff weight in excess of 165,000 lbs. They use a mechanism called a "servo tab," which is sort of like a control surface for the control surface. In essence, it deflects in the opposite direction of the control surface, and usually in proportion to the control force (a system of levers and springs measures the amount of force being transmitted to the controls by the surface).

The primary disadvantage, aside from the complexity of the system, is that it tends to delay feedback, which results in PIO.