AV Web

MAY 22, 2024

As the former owner of a vintage V-tail Bonanza, I always pay attention when one of them crashes. Both invoke traditional assumptions about V-tails, and even vintage Bonanza lovers like me acknowledge there is at least a grain or two of truth in each. Last week’s tragedy in Tennessee drew particularly wide interest for two reasons.

Tail 98

Tail Instrument Meteorological Conditions Knot Groundspeed 98

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

Helicopters use a small rotor mounted on the tail that produces sideways thrust to counter the main rotors torque reaction. The tail rotor pushes air to one side ( action ), and the tail moves the other way ( reaction ). Other Designs The tail rotor is not the only way to solve the torque reaction problem.

Lift 52

Lift Thrust Torque Aileron 52

Vintage Aviation News

DECEMBER 14, 2024

One of the biggest challenges for the X-29 was the unusual center of gravity, which was affected by the rear-mounting of the forward-swept wings and made the X-29 inherently unstable. This was why the strakes were added to the X-29’s tail, in order to reduce drag from using the trim on the canard in the nose.

Horizontal Stabilizer 96

Horizontal Stabilizer Center of Gravity Tail Drag 96

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

Placing the center of gravity ahead of the aircraft’s center of lift improves longitudinal stability. Doing so provides more lateral stability since the aircraft’s Center of Gravity (CG) lies below the wings. Tail Design Larger, more effective stabilizers provide stronger restoring forces.

Stability 52

Stability Center of Gravity Aileron Rudder 52

Vintage Aviation News

AUGUST 22, 2024

Load’s” relatively safe haven high in the tail section left him hanging upside down on steel-wire control cables, emulating a tree sloth. That meant balancing aerodynamic forces on the flight controls with a large “trim wheel” linked by cables to tabs on the aft edge of our horizontal tail. I was dragging tail.

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control Tail Cargo Airplanes 52

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 16, 2024

The tail turret evolved into a powered version, incorporating four Browning machine guns. These enhancements, along with an increased center of gravity adjustment through the addition of forward ballast, ensured that the Sunderland could effectively defend itself while maintaining balance during flight.

Center of Gravity 52

Center of Gravity Tail Lift Aileron 52

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

High-wing aircraft are particularly vulnerable due to their higher center of gravity. But remember, the crosswind you just battled is still hitting the aircraft’s wing and tail. This prevents the crosswind from raising the upwind wing (and wheel), causing a loss of control.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Longitudinal Axis Aileron Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

True, a slightly higher aspect ratio wing was desired, which in turn required a larger vertical tail and thus a little extra mass, but the size, approximately 20% larger than a Widgeon, was set. The Mallard—it’s a trike—has a tail stinger because it otherwise falls on its tail when loading.”

Airplanes 79

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 79

AV Web

APRIL 15, 2025

It had cut into the tail rotor gearbox, tearing it off the helicopter. NTSB says, flight crew attempted to takeoff with the airplane 2975 pounds over the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), a center of gravity (CG) close to the most forward limit, and an incorrect stabilizer trim setting. Other than that, what?

Pilot 52

Pilot Airplanes Runway Descent 52