Linked Questions

20 votes
5 answers
15k views

What are the advantages of a Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer?

What are the advantages of a Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer (THS)? For example, a THS is used on some Airbus and Embraer aircraft. What is the most important advantage, and why don't some other ...
user13197's user avatar
  • 11.5k
16 votes
4 answers
5k views

Why are swept wings better for breaking the sound barrier?

I'm told that swept wings perform better when an aircraft is trying to break the sound barrier. I was wondering why that would be?
Jae Carr's user avatar
  • 24.3k
13 votes
4 answers
3k views

What are the reasons to evolve from trim tabs to moving the entire surface (e.g. stabilizer)?

Modern commercial aircraft use stabilizer to trim instead of trim tabs. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this design choice? Have aileron trim and rudder trim evolved in a similar way to ...
ToUsIf's user avatar
  • 1,143
12 votes
2 answers
4k views

What are the pros/cons of all-moving rudder?

All-moving flight control surface (stabilator instead of a stabilisator+elevator) are common on supersonic aircrafts but this is usually used for pitch control only. For rudder, this design (one all-...
Manu H's user avatar
  • 16.6k
10 votes
2 answers
3k views

Will control surfaces on a plane be less efficient at a higher altitude?

I may be wrong but I learned that control surfaces depends on the air flow to work properly, and that airliners have a higher cruise altitude because of the less dense atmosphere, improving the fuel ...
Gabriel Brito's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why are aircraft designed so that the wing stalls before the tail?

I read somewhere that conventional aircraft are designed so that the main wing always stalls before the tailplane. Why is that? My concern is that if the wing stalls, suddenly the tail will push the ...
Jacob's user avatar
  • 115
5 votes
1 answer
14k views

What is the chord of a wing?

In the answer to this question the author mentions the chord of a wing. What exactly is that, and how is it used in wing design?
Jae Carr's user avatar
  • 24.3k
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why most of the supersonic or fighter aircraft use all-moving control surfaces?

What are the advantages of using all-moving control surfaces? can someone give explanations based on aerodynamics?
syahmi amir hamzah's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is setting elevator to certain angle equal to trimming the horizontal stabilizer?

(I was trying to understand the longitudinal stability of aircraft and how it is related to elevator) If I pull the stick back by, say 2 inches, will it have the same affect as trimming the ...
user2927392's user avatar
  • 2,359
3 votes
2 answers
218 views

Is there any way to estimate the weight difference between a trimmable horizontal stabilizer and a fixed tailplane?

I am trying to estimate the benefits of using a trimmable horizontal stabilizer (THS) instead of a fixed tailplane. In my model I use a T-tail (Sh~30 m), and I can trim the aicraft in every condition ...
JGG's user avatar
  • 341