Boeing B-29 Superfortress showing conventional single vertical stabilizer

The vertical stabilizers, or fins, of aircraft, missiles or bombs are typically found on the aft end of the fuselage or body, and are intended to control yaw. A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo

On aircraft, vertical stabilizers generally point upwards. These are also known as the vertical tail, and are part of an aircraft's empennage. Empennage émpənij is an Aviation term used to describe the Tail portion of an Aircraft. The trailing end of the stabilizer is typically movable, and called the rudder; this allows the aircraft pilot to control yaw. A rudder is a device used to steer a Ship, Boat, Submarine, Hovercraft, or other conveyance that move through a fluid (generally air or

Often navigational radio or airband transceiver antennas are placed on or inside the vertical tail. Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of Radio frequencies to determining a position on the Earth. The airband or air band is the band of frequencies used for radio communication in Aviation. A transceiver is a device that has both a Transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing An antenna is a Transducer designed to transmit or Receive electromagnetic waves In other words antennas convert electromagnetic waves into In most aircraft with three jet engines, the vertical stabilizer houses the central engine or engine inlet duct, as in the Lockheed L-1011, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, Boeing 727, Tupolev Tu-154, and the Yakovlev Yak-40. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Types of vertical stabilizers

Single

Conventional tail

The tail is configured vertically, and the horizontal stabilizer is directly mounted to the empennage. For Aircraft, the horizontal stabilizer or tailplane is a fixed or adjustable surface from which an elevator may be hinged The Lockheed L-188 Electra is a typical example of this configuration. The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American Turboprop airliner built by Lockheed.

Schempp-Hirth Discus with the T-tail common on modern gliders

T-tail

Main article: T-tail

A T-tail has the horizontal stabilizer mounted at the top of the vertical stabilizer. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes A T-tail is an aircraft tail stabilizer arrangement in which the horizontal surfaces ( Tailplane and elevators are mounted to the top of the A T-tail is an aircraft tail stabilizer arrangement in which the horizontal surfaces ( Tailplane and elevators are mounted to the top of the It is commonly seen on rear-engine aircraft, such as the Bombardier CRJ200 or Douglas DC-9, as well as the Silver Arrow small airplane, and most high performance sailplanes. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes The only operational fighter aircraft to use the T-tail configuration were the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

T-tails are often incorporated on configurations with fuselage mounted engines to keep the tail away from the engine exhaust plume.

T-tail aircraft are more susceptible to pitch-up at high angles of attack. This pitch-up results from a reduction in the horizontal tail's lifting capability as it passes through the wake of the wing at moderate angles of attack.

T-tails present additional structural challenges since the horizontal tail loads must be transmitted through the vertical tail.

Cruciform tail

Main article: Cruciform tail

The cruciform tail is arranged like a cross, the horizontal stabilizer intersects the vertical tail somewhere near the middle. The cruciform tail is an Aircraft Empennage configuration that viewed edge-on looks much like a Cross. The PBY Catalina uses this configuration. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Multiple stabilizers

Twin tail

Main article: Twin tail

The F-15 and its twin tails

Rather than a single vertical stabilizer, a twin tail has two. A twin tail is a specific type of Vertical stabilizer arrangement found on some Aircraft. These are vertically arranged, and intersect or are mounted to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer. The Beechcraft Model 18 and many modern military aircraft such as the American F-14, F-15(left), and F-18 use this configuration. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing Aircraft that is in the current employ of a Military power WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-18 and F-22 Raptor have tailfins that are canted outward, to the point that they have some authority as horizontal control surfaces, both aircraft are designed to deflect their rudders inward during takeoff to increase pitching moment.

Triple tail

A Lockheed Constellation with a triple tail

A variation on the twin tail, it has three vertical stabilizers. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The best example of this configuration is the Lockheed Constellation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout On the Constellation it was done to give the airplane maximum vertical stabilizer area, but keep the overall height low enough so that it could fit into maintenance hangars. A hangar is an enclosed structure to hold Aircraft in protective storage

V-tail

Main article: V-tail

A V-tail has no distinct vertical or horizontal stabilizers. In aircraft a V-tail (sometimes called a "butterfly tail" is an unconventional arrangement of the tail control surfaces that replaces the traditional fin and horizontal Rather, they are merged into control surfaces known as ruddervators which control both pitch and yaw. SpecialShortpages.--> The arrangement looks like the letter V, and is also known as a butterfly tail. The Beechcraft Bonanza Model 35 uses this configuration, as does the F-117 Nighthawk, and many of Richard Schreder's HP series of homebuilt gliders. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Richard E Schreder ( 25 September, 1915 - 2 August, 2002) was a naval aviator and American Sailplane developer responsible for Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity Terminology A "glider" is an unpowered Aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes

Rutan VariEze with vertical stabilizers on the ends of the wings also serving as winglets

Winglet

Winglets served double duty on Burt Rutan's rear wing forward canard pusher configuration VariEze and Long-EZ, acting as both a wingtip device and a vertical stabilizer. The Rutan VariEze is a composite, canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of Fixed-wing aircraft. Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of Fixed-wing aircraft. Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality In Aeronautics, canard ( French for Duck) is an airframe configuration of Fixed-wing aircraft in which the Tailplane is ahead of the An Aircraft constructed with a pusher configuration has the engine mounted forward of the Propeller - which faces in a rearwards direction - giving an appearance The Rutan VariEze is a composite, canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a Homebuilt aircraft with a canard layout designed by Burt Rutan 's Rutan Aircraft Factory. Several other derivatives of these and other similar aircraft use this design element.

References