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The aircraft's tail is one of its defining features. And while its function can be reduced to simple ideas - pitch and yaw - the actual shape and position of the elevators, rudder, vertical stabilizer and trim tabs is as much art as science based on necessity.
Tail Of An Aircraft
Think of the rounded top of an old Beech Staggerwing or Piper chick. Think of the straight tail of a Cessna 150. Think of the rear tail of a dozen different airplanes, old and new. Think of the moony tail that looks forward. Now think about V-tails and T-tails. Get in an Ercoupe just for fun.
Tail Fin Of An United Airlines Aircraft Showing The Logo Stock Photo
At Zenith Aircraft, known for producing home-built short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft kits, the design is driven by the need for the aircraft to perform very well when taking off very slowly and often at high angles. attacks. While it seemed obvious that a slow-flying aircraft would need a very large tail to deflect enough air, the Zenith's design seemed small. However, according to Sebastian Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft Company, "In our STOL design, as well as in our low-wing CH 650, the rudder is the entire vertical tail section. The vertical tail of the 701/750/650 is actually all rudder control, and in fact most other aircraft There is a slightly larger rudder area than the design. Despite the overall small tail['s] appearance there is a necessary control surface. By designing a vertical tail that rotates throughout, we have maximized the effectiveness of the rudder. Excellent slow flight and crosswind handling ability, while Also reduces tail weight and simplifies design general with fewer parts".
What determines the shape of the tail? STOL performance is a goal. Glide ratio is another. Performance of STOL is a goal. Glide ratio is another. Kevin Bruce, director of airworthiness and quality at Diamond Aircraft, where all but one Diamond design has a T-tail, said: “We design our aircraft to have excellent glide and handling characteristics without propulsion, which contributes to 'passive' safety. Giving. . systems in aircraft. The Diamond product line began with the HK36, a motor glider. Most gliders on the market have a T-tail because a T-tail will add to a better overall glide ratio for the aircraft. The T-tail is not in the slipstream of the fuselage or wing, so there is less drag from this interaction. The T-tail design provides better flow up the elevator, allowing for better pitch control and more predictable aerodynamic performance." And then there's the brand identity and the fact that the T-tail fits perfectly. "It's Diamond's. There is an image with a T-tail," he said.
Jay Hardin, aerodynamics manager for Textron Aviation, maker of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft, explains some of the science behind tail design. Regarding the advantages of the T-tail, he says: "The end effect of the horizontal tail on the vertical tail allows the vertical tail to be smaller. With the horizontal tail located above the wing, the effect of the old wing [downwash] on the tail is minimized, which allows the tail to be smaller." is. Sweeping the vertical tail creates a much longer horizontal tail arm than is possible with a cruciform tail or a cruciform. As for the disadvantages, he says the T-tail makes the tail heavier. Moves out.
"Reduced interference drag at vertical-tail/horizontal intersections and vertical-tail/fuselage intersections. The horizontal-tail/vertical-tail configuration has three intersections, while the V-tail configuration has two. The disadvantage is that the V-tail dutch roll. spoils the cushion," he said.
White Passenger Widebody Plane Blue Tail Stock Photo 403220680
Once flight is safe, there is an art in tail design. The rounded tip of the staggerwing tail was a styling decision, as was the move from a straight tail to a swept back version on the Cessna 150/172/182 models in the 1960s. The right combination of stability and control, which is the opposite of need. In single-engine aircraft, crosswind control is the primary design driver. In multi-engine airplanes, control of idling engines is the primary design driver. In both cases, the rudder must be powerful enough to meet the design requirements, but if it is too powerful, it can produce high side angles that can prevent a vertical tail," Hardin said.
Once flight is safe, there is an art in tail design. The rounded tip of the staggerwing tail was a styling decision, as was the move from a straight tail to a swept back version on the Cessna 150/172/182 models in the 1960s. According to Hardin, a more angular design makes the tail look longer. is effective and thus allows it to be smaller. However, the swept-back design actually reduced directional stability slightly. In the 1970s, Cessna tested a T-tail version of the 182, but, he said, "the company's pilots did not like the loss of lift power due to horizontal tail movement outside the propeller wash".
Perhaps the most recognizable tail in the sky is that of the Moon's line. Instead of swept-back, it looks forward-backward. In fact, however, the leading edge is vertical and the leading edge tapers towards the top. The plane is fast and the tail makes it so. According to Mooney International chief engineer Kevin Hawley, the reason for that design was more practical than whimsical. He says: "The main point of straight leading edges, horizontal and vertical stabilizers on the wing was that it was easy to cover the surface with wood (plywood). The M18 and the first M20 had wooden wings and ... horizontal. Stabilizers. Some might say That it had to do with the vertical moment arm at a high angle of attack, but that's an old wives' tail."
Mooney also sports what he calls an all-trimming tail. "A tail that goes all the way through the trim is one thing. Al [Mooney's] favorite subject: performance. It was a cleaner design and that ultimately translated into less drag trim. Angle attack was more effective than the control deviation. is. surface in terms of the aerodynamic force produced,” said Hawley.
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Of course, tail design involves subtleties and nuances and airflow math. For example, the vertical tail is often slightly offset from the centerline of the aircraft, to cope with things like the P factor and spiral slipstream. Tabs affect airflow. And as propeller shapes now factor things like noise reduction into their design goals, the future of tail design involves much more than pitch and yaw.
At Zenith, when they hold workshops to introduce people to building their own aircraft, they start with the tail. Heintz said, "We like to start on the rudder tail section for several reasons: First of all, building the rudder is a relatively small project that can easily be completed in less than two days from start to finish. A good project for the workshop, while at the same time the rudder The assembly introduces the builder to all the components of aircraft construction. The rudder assembly is similar to the wing assembly: the assembly consists of a main spar with back ribs and nose ribs, and the internal structure is then "covered" by skins - both nose skins and wing skins. Building the entire rudder assembly is easily completed in a few days, but more importantly, it introduces the new builder to all the tools and skills needed to complete the rest of the aircraft, including reading and understanding assembly plans and instructions. , etc."
And the futuristic design is imagined. Again, according to Hardin, "the greatest challenge for mechanical control systems is to achieve satisfactory flight characteristics as airplanes continue to get larger and faster, and regulatory requirements become more stringent. The challenges are maintaining the control forces required Achieving stability. Low enough and maintaining good control feel throughout the range of control movement. This requires properly sized tails and control surfaces with designed and proper aerodynamic balance. In the distant future, wired and powered flight controls may be at the door of even the smallest GA aircraft. is. , and this will change everything.” This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced content may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tailplane" – News · Journals · Books · Scholar · JSTOR ( December 2007) (Learn how and what to remove from this sample message)
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empnage) behind the main lifting surfaces of fixed-wing aircraft, as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft, such as and helicopters and gyroplanes all fixed- Wing aircraft do not have tailplanes. Canards, tailless aircraft and flying wings do not have a separate tailplane, whereas in a V-tail aircraft, the vertical stabilizer, rudder and tail-plane and elevators combine to form two surface diagonals in a V layout.
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The function of the tailplane is to provide stability and control. In particular, the
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