Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 18, 2025

Armed with two 20mm cannons in the tail and capable of carrying up to 72,000 pounds of bombs, the YB-60 had formidable firepower. The YB-60 suffered from flight control and handling issues and lacked the speed and stability of its Boeing counterpart.

Ceiling 115

Ceiling Thrust Stability Tail 115

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

The initial version had a “fastback” fuselage that lacked a rear window and a large, unswept vertical stabilizer. The most modern versions incorporate a rear window and swept tail. This example, built in 1960, combines the fastback of earlier models with the swept tail of later ones.

Tail 96

Tail Airplanes Stability Pilot 96

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 3, 2025

Early helicopters required pilots to manually synchronize engine RPM with both main rotor and tail rotor collective pitchesa complex and demanding task. Carlson demonstrates the stability of the Model 47 by taking his hands off of the flight controls during a hover. Bell Aircraft Corp. test pilot Floyd W.

Payload 98

Payload Stability Tail General Aviation 98

Aerotime

MARCH 21, 2025

A large portion of the tail, including most of the vertical stabilizer and the entire horizontal stabilizer, also broke away from the aircraft. As was seen in video footage of the incident the aircraft then began to slide along the runway and rolled to the right until it became inverted.

Indicated Airspeed 298

Indicated Airspeed Descent Knot Horizontal Stabilizer 298

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Numerous parts have been fabricated for the outer wing panels, and they will soon be covering the tail control surfaces using a new water-based system.” Additionally, the team has begun laying out the damaged left horizontal stabilizer to assess the necessary repairs.

Horizontal Stabilizer 105

Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Tail 105

Simple Flying

JULY 23, 2024

Significant advances in aviation technology have occurred over the last few decades. Aircraft are fitted with wingtip devices, generally known as winglets or sharklets, to minimize aerodynamic drag and increase fuel efficiency, and state-of-the-art engines reduce sound and wear and tear.

Stability 98

Stability Drag Aviation Technology Tail 98

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 20, 2025

Unlike the Cessnas all-aluminum airframe construction, the Stinson uses a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering the fuselage, wing, and tail. This particular 108 is the dash three model, identifiable by the large vertical stabilizer. It has a low 2,221 hours on the airframe with no known damage history.

Transponder 94

Transponder Stability Tail Airplanes 94

Simple Flying

DECEMBER 17, 2024

The Space Shuttle Carriers are easily recognizable from the extra stabilizers placed on the tail of the 747s as well as the struts on top (where the orbiters were attached). Famously, NASA heavily modified two Boeing 747 Jumbo jets to carry its Space Shuttles (they are called the Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft).

Stability 111

Stability Tail Cargo Jet 111

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The tail section mates perfectly with the forward fuselage. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers have also been completed and attached to the tail section. Before the temporary halt in restoration, the fuselage structural framework had been completed and painted.

Stability 122

Stability Tail Aileron Rudder 122

Flying Magazine

MAY 14, 2024

The most significant visual differences were the T-46’s high wing and the “H” tail, with twin vertical stabilizers mounted to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer that strongly resembled those of the company’s previous jet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Horizontal Stabilizer 126

Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Tail Drag 126

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 1, 2025

feet high at the tip of the vertical stabilizer. At the center is the Douglas X-3, surrounded clockwise by the Bell X-1A (AF serial 48-1384), the third Douglas D-558-1 (NACA tail number 142), Convair XF-92A, Bell X-5, Douglas D-558-2, and Northrop X-4. feet long, had a 31.3-foot foot wingspan, and was 17.5 Photo NACA/NASA

Airfoil 69

Airfoil Aileron Rudder Stability 69

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 7, 2025

It was short, stubby, very tall, and had two wings and two tails. To that he added wings and tail, and placed the pilot behind all this. The unique twin tails completed this one-of-a-kind design and became the signature feature of the entire line. Then suddenly, out of the sky, swooped a most bizarre-looking flying machine.

Tail 53

Tail Horizontal Stabilizer Gross Weight Pilot 53

Vintage Aviation News

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

The restoration team removed, refurbished (or remade) and reinstalled each component from the original vertical stabilizer, one-at-a-time, so everything stayed in alignment, negating the need for a fixture. AirCorps Aviation’s CAD department has produced a rendering of the AT-10’s horizontal stabilizer.

Horizontal Stabilizer 98

Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Rudder Tail 98

One Mile at a Time

MARCH 20, 2025

A large portion of the tail section was found on the runway, around 1,680 feet from the threshold, and 235 feet from the main wreckage. Obviously it was gusty, but if youre not able to stabilize an approach, thats when a go around would ordinarily be performed. The right wing came to a rest around 215 feet beyond the main wreckage.

Descent 109

Descent Threshold Knot Indicated Airspeed 109

Plane and Pilot

DECEMBER 8, 2024

This version was equipped with modified flight controls based on lessons learned from the initial prototype, had a larger vertical stabilizer, and several other minor improvements. The large vertical tail completes the picture. Undeterred, Harlow and his merry band of students constructed a second prototype, the PJC-2.

Airplanes 96

Airplanes Ceiling Stability Tail 96

Vintage Aviation News

JANUARY 30, 2025

A short 18 months later, on August 13, 1937, the XPB2Y-1 took to the skies for the first time, revealing plenty of room for improvement lateral instability was a major problem for the deep-hulled boat, so the single tail fin was augmented by two smaller fins on the horizontal stabilizers. ” “I guess we surprised them!”

Horizontal Stabilizer 111

Horizontal Stabilizer Final Approach Tail Runway 111

Flying Magazine

APRIL 30, 2024

An unbuilt concept, the Douglas DC-8 Skybus aimed to position two V-12 piston engines in the forward fuselage and link them with two contra-rotating propellers in the tail. A ventral stabilizer doubled as propeller protection in the event of over-rotation or tail strikes.

Drag 133

Drag Thrust Stability Tail 133

Vintage Aviation News

JULY 3, 2024

The aircraft’s wings and horizontal stabilizer required only minor repairs. The team installed new electrical systems and hoses, rebuilt the main landing gear and tail wheel, and recovered and painted the fuselage, wings, and flight surfaces to restore the aircraft’s original appearance.

Horizontal Stabilizer 124

Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Tail Pilot 124

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 25, 2025

After a few seconds, Ill lift the tail and then add full power. Within a couple of seconds, I could feel that the tail was ready to come up, so I added just a touch of forward stick pressure. Within a couple of seconds, I could feel that the tail was ready to come up, so I added just a touch of forward stick pressure.

Knot 111

Knot Airplanes Runway Rudder 111

Vintage Aviation News

JANUARY 9, 2025

On this day in aviation history, January 9, 1943, a large four engine transport aircraft with three tail fins rose from the runway at Burbank Airport, California. The tail was the most distinctive part of the Connie’s design. The prototype Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, N67900 over Burbank.

Tail 116

Tail Stability Pilot Hangar 116

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 18, 2025

The F-14s unique roll control setup, which relies on differential horizontal stabilizers and spoilers rather than traditional ailerons, provided effective control at various speeds but also introduced side forces that could contribute to spin entry. View of the cockpit of NASA’s F-14, tail number 991.

Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron Tail Airfoil 52

Vintage Aviation News

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

In March 1939, a new owner, Alhambra resident Warren Knox Layne, added a tailwheel to better operate from paved runways as opposed to the original tail skid. It shows that the aircraft had border stripes following the contours of its tail surfaces and wings, with a single stripe down the length of each side of the fuselage.

Tail 111

Tail Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Airplanes 111

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

The airship initially recovered, dumping ballast and stabilizing at 700 feet above the sea and returning to its cruising altitude of 1,600 feet, but the ship was sent into another plunge, falling a rate of 14 feet per second tail-down.

Lift 59

Lift Tail Stability Wind Shear 59

Northstar VFR

MARCH 16, 2025

As the propeller spins, it creates a spiral pattern of airflow that wraps around the fuselage and strikes the left side of the vertical stabilizer (rudder). This force pushes the tail to the right, causing the nose to yaw left. So what does that mean exactly?

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Rudder Torque Thrust 52

Fear of Landing

JUNE 28, 2024

The Cabri G2 comprises a shrouded tail rotor, usually referred to as a “Fenestron” (a registered trade mark of Eurocopter) that was proven to provide excellent maneuverability in every flight condition, in every direction of flight up to 40 kt at least. They crashed into a field east of the runway, breaking the skids off.

Rudder 111

Rudder Tail Lift Knot 111

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 24, 2024

As a 1979 N-model this 172 incorporates the swept vertical stabilizer and rear cabin window, giving it the most modern look of any 172 variants. Custom-painted wheel pants and a sharp paint scheme add to the overall appearance and make it stand out from older, round-tail, fabric-covered taildraggers.

Stability 97

Stability Tail Airplanes General Aviation 97

Learn to Fly

DECEMBER 6, 2024

The F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter features vertical tail feathers and horizontal stabilators made from carbon fiber-reinforced bismaleimide composite. Composites can make up 50 to 90% of a rotorcrafts airframe by weight, including radomes, tail cones and large structural assemblies (Figure 6).

Stability 73

Stability Tail Horizontal Stabilizer Cargo 73

Aerotime

JUNE 21, 2024

The provision of stabilizer floats at the ends of each wing, which could be retracted for streamlined flight, added to the design’s efficiency. The tail was completely blown off, the port float was virtually shot away, and the port wing was damaged.

Pilot 299

Pilot Tail Ferry Flight Clearance 299

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 19, 2024

That is the story of the Bellanca Aries T-250, an efficient, T-tailed travel machine that rivaled the Beechcraft Bonanza and Piper Comanche in speed, load-carrying capacity, and elegant design. Their first design, the Anderson Greenwood AG-14, was a 90 hp, twin-tailed, two-seat pusher.

Tail 96

Tail Airplanes Crosswind Knot 96

Fear of Landing

APRIL 19, 2024

At approximately 30-40 feet agl, the spinning stopped and the helicopter appeared to stabilize for a brief moment before continuing a nose-low, forward descent into the grass north of Runway 28. The operator confirmed that the tail rotor had been installed the day before the accident. As it descended it spun around 2-3 times.

Torque 98

Torque Indicated Airspeed Tail Knot 98

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

The weapon was guided by the launch aircraft through the manual command to line of sight (MCLOS) method, with the pilot tracking the flight of the missile via two bright flares on the weapon’s tail and making corrections using a small joystick in the cockpit.] Each Thud is loaded with a pair of AGM-12C Bullpup B air-to-ground missiles.

Pilot 105

Pilot Cockpit Knot Stability 105

AV Web

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

As of today, the CRJs right wing, center fuselage, part of the left wing and left fuselage, significant portions of the forward cabin and cockpit, vertical stabilizer, tail cone, rudder, elevators, TCAS computer, and quick access recorder have been recovered and will be moved to a secure location for examination.

Air Traffic Control 70

Air Traffic Control Quick Access Recorder Cockpit Rudder 70

Vintage Aviation News

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Around this time, the USAAF was also developing its first jet fighters, but knew that all-jet aircraft at this time were short-ranged and burned fuel quicker than propeller-driven aircraft, and so the optimal design was to feature a propeller-driven engine in the front for long range performance and a jet engine in the tail for high speed in combat.

Thrust 52

Thrust Tail Jet Drag 52

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 14, 2025

Close-up view of the reconnaissance component of the General Atomics MQ-1L Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which included a satellite data link system, an Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) stabilized gimbal containing two color video cameras and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

Hangar 97

Hangar Stability Tail Aviation Technology 97

Air

MARCH 10, 2025

It’s triggered by a disruption , like a gust of wind, impacting the aircraft’s stability. Aircraft with higher roll stability are more prone to experiencing Dutch roll. Static vs. Dynamic Stability Static stability describes an aircraft’s initial tendency to return to its original position after being disturbed.

Longitudinal Axis 52

Longitudinal Axis Stability Lift Pilot 52

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 27, 2025

As the airplane contacts the ground, the tail will be forced down very rapidly by the back-elevator pressure and by inertia acting downward on the tail. Be patient and practice disciplined traffic pattern and stabilized approach procedures. When a porpoise is severe, the safest procedure is to EXECUTE A GO-AROUND IMMEDIATELY.

Airplanes 89

Airplanes Runway Accelerated Stall Lift 89

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

The rudder is a movable flight control which is mounted on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer on the back of the airplane. Some new student pilots think the rudder and vertical stabilizer are the same thing. The vertical stabilizer is a vertical fixed part of the plane’s empennage. Why is the rudder so important?

Rudder 52

Rudder Airplanes Pilot Stability 52