Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. With this type of aircraft, the functions of longitudinal stability and control are incorporated into the main wing. A tailless airplane is one where everything needed to fly, like lift, control, and stability, is built into the main wing.

Tail 52

Tail Airplanes Weight-Shift-Control Drag 52

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 11, 2025

They flew a total of 313 missions, collecting invaluable data on pitch stability, lift, drag, and buffeting in transonic and supersonic flight. Both aircraft display early examples of swept-wing airfoils. The first Skyrocket, NACA 143, began with a turbojet engine, later modified to an all-rocket configuration.

Drag 52

Drag Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Airfoil 52

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

And ice doesn’t just make things slippery, it messes with the airflow over the wings, cuts down on lift, and ramps up drag. Remember that wings, propeller blades, and tail surfaces are airfoil-shaped. Ice build-up on the airframe changes the airflow pattern around these airfoils.

Pitot Tube 52

Pitot Tube Drag Lift Airfoil 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 6, 2025

It retained the classic, high-lift Clark Y airfoil, but the span of its four-position semi-Fowler flap span was extended. There are handles on the lower aft fuselage for maneuvering the airplane on the ground, but more importantly, there are also handles where they are really needed, on the front of the horizontal stabilizer.

Gross Weight 78

Gross Weight Horizontal Stabilizer Airplanes Rudder 78

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

The airfoil is a Harry Riblett shape, giving modernized flow separation on the leading edge for a soft stall yet with good lift and drag performance. Just recognizable in the background is a horizontal stabilizer and one-piece elevator. Paul has his hand on the throttles with the mixture and prop levers nearby.

Airplanes 79

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 79