Our American Chums never liked the word tailplane, they preferred Horizontal Stabilizer, OK no problem. To them an elevator is a device for saving you from using the stairs in tall buildings! Now back in the 50’s, they discovered that by moving the whole tailplane (sorry, Horizontal Stabilizer) pitch control was a whole lot more effective, so from the F-86 onwards this was the way to do it. When Uncle Mac McDonnell built the Phantom, he stuck a really big control surface on the back end and called it a STABILATOR. It works in pitch only, roll control is by ailerons on the wings (Mainplanes). Now on Tornado, because of the wing sweep, there are no ailerons on the wings, so the tail surfaces act together in pitch and in opposition to give roll and are called TAILERONS!!
Hope you are still with me!
The Photo’s of a Phantom Visiting Laarbruch, the Chap who serviced it that day was none other than JASE, who you might have noticed is also a contributor to this forum.
KeithMac
Attachments:
By: neilly - 1st April 2002 at 07:09
RE: Tech Education 3 Stabilators & Tailerons
Hi Keith,
There was a programme, on the History Channel last year, all about the sound barrier. The Americans, in the form of one C Yeager esq. claimed the AMT was their invention. There was some film of an Auster, taken during the War (about 1943, I think), using an All Moving Tailplane (or for the Cousins, All Moving Horizontal Stabilizer or AMHS). So it was most definitly a British invention. However, the US were the first to use it for supersonic flight (sound familiar- British invention then someone else see’s the possibilities & uses it before us!).
You’re right about the F-86, too. The first production aeroplane with an AMT.
Cheers,
Neilly
By: Moggy C - 1st April 2002 at 04:04
RE: Tech Education 3 Stabilators & Tailerons
Two points here..
1) Do you think the Americans’ dislike of the word ‘Tailplane’ stems from their less than complimentary use of the word ‘tail’ to refer to young eligible chaps of the female persuasion?
Hence ‘Tailplane’ = an airplane (sic) suitable only for girls to drive?
Bit like those nasty BMW two seater ‘sports’ cars that clutter up all our roads these days.
2) When are we going to get on to the Beechcraft Bonanza?
Moggy
By: keithmac - 31st March 2002 at 20:33
RE: Tech Education 3 Stabilators & Tailerons
You may be right, I believe however that it is generally accepted that the first real use on a production aircraft was on the F-86 Sabre.
KeithMac.
By: neilly - 31st March 2002 at 18:11
RE: Tech Education 3 Stabilators & Tailerons
One slight correction, I think the All Moving Tailplane (AMT) was first used on an Auster, back in the 40’s, as an experimental device. I know several well know American test pilots have claimed the AMT as an American invention!
Neilly
By: J Scott - 31st March 2002 at 15:59
RE: Tech Education 3 Stabilators & Tailerons
Primary Effect of ailerons:
Roll
Secondary Effect of ailerons:
Yaw
Sign In
March 30, 2002 at 11:58 pm