Empennage
Empennage
The
empennage, commonly called the tail assembly (see figure 1-7), is the rear
section of the body of the airplane. Its main purpose is to give stability to
the aircraft. The fixed parts are the horizontal stabilizer and the
vertical stabilizer or fin.
The front, fixed section is called the horizontal
stabilizer and is used to prevent the airplane from pitching up or
down.
The rear
section is called the elevator and is usually hinged to the
horizontal stabilizer. The elevator is a movable airfoil that controls
the up-and-down motion of the aircraft's nose.
The
vertical tail structure is divided into the vertical stabilizer and the
rudder. The front section is called the vertical stabilizer and is
used to prevent the aircraft from yawing back and forth.
The principle
behind its operation is much like the principle of a deep keel on a sailboat.
In light, single-engine aircraft, it also serves to offset the tendency of the
aircraft to roll in the opposite direction in which the propeller is rotating.
The rear
section of the vertical structure is the rudder. It is a movable airfoil that
is used to turn the aircraft.
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