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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

Have you ever seen an airplane with no tail and no vertical fin, but with just a sleek wing? A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. A tailless aircraft may still have a fuselage and a vertical tail (fin and rudder). They also reduce the onset of pressure drag over the leading edge.

Tail 52
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Going Up and Going Down

Plane and Pilot

As with all airplane maneuvering, proper altitude changes are based on the foundational formula “power plus attitude equals performance.” This climb speed is determined by minimizing the two sources of drag acting against the airplane. Although optimum, V Y is simply in the middle of a fairly broad lift-over-drag curve.

Descent 72
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From Twinjet to Glider: Varied Experience Comes in Handy in Unwanted Transition

Flying Magazine

I fully expected the gauge to fix itself before we landed because that is what old airplanes frequently do (this airframe was about 42 years young). Rudder trim fixes the yaw issue, but surprisingly we do not have a single caution or warning light. Full flaps are mostly about drag, not lift. I had no control of the left engine.

Knot 115
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World’s Only DC-3 on Floats Returns to the Skies

Vintage Aviation News

The airplane, N130Q, was constructed by Douglas at Santa Monica, California in 1943 as a C-53D-DO with serial number 42-68834. For a very thorough and engaging read on the full history of the DC-3 floatplane, including wartime history and the details of the Folsom airplane, we encourage readers to pick up a copy of Jakob H.

Rudder 144
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What Every Pilot Needs to Know about the Airplane Rudder

Northstar VFR

More right rudder!!” The airplane rudder is one of the most misunderstood of the primary flight controls. Yet the rudder is one of the most important and one of the most under-utilized. The rudder’s most important function is controlling the yaw of the aircraft, which moves the nose of the plane left and right.

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Understanding EFBs: What Student Pilots Need to Know Before They Take Off

Flying Magazine

Before a student pilot can legally fly solo, they must be able to demonstrate not just control of the airplane but command of the environment around it. If not on day one, then soon after the basics of stick and rudder are mastered. That environment is not limited to weather and airspace.

Pilot 104
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Accident Briefs—July 2025

Plane and Pilot

The pilot said he refueled the airplane the day before the accident and checked the fuel level during his preflight inspection the following morning. The postaccident examination of the airplane was compromised by the saltwater damage to the engine. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.