Timeline for Why were the first airplanes "backwards"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
3 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 27, 2019 at 6:30 | comment | added | Robert DiGiovanni | "One forward and one rear, to be doubly sure they can be stabilized" Yes, it was the early days. Unfortunately for aircraft pitch stability, the forward will cancel the rear and we're back to square 1. We must remember "tail" functionality regarding directional and pitch stability MUST be aft of the CG. The elevator (essentially a pitch destabilizer) can be placed fore or aft. | |
| Jun 25, 2019 at 20:15 | comment | added | Peter Kämpf | Alphonse Penaud and Lilienthal had the tail in the back, correct. But Santos-Dumont in 1906 and Gabriel Voisin also put the horizontal tail in the front (the Voisin designs had two, one forward and one rear, to be doubly sure they can be stabilized). So in the short period from 1903 to 1907 all aircraft had the tail in front. | |
| Jun 25, 2019 at 17:31 | history | answered | Daniele Procida | CC BY-SA 4.0 |