Vertical stabilizer
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The vertical stabilizer or fin of an aircraft is found on its tail, generally pointing straight upward. It is also known as the vertical tail, and is part of an aircraft's empennage. The trailing end of the stabilizer is typically movable, and called the rudder; this allows the aircraft to yaw. Often navigational radios have their antennas placed on or in the vertical tail. In some aircraft, the vertical stabilizer houses an engine; the Lockheed L-1011, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, Boeing 727, Tupolev Tu-154, and the Yakovlev Yak-40 are all examples of this arrangement.
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[edit] Types of vertical stabilizers
[edit] Conventional tail
The tail is configured vertically, and the horizontal stabilizer is directly mounted to the empennage. The Lockheed L-188 Electra is a typical example of this configuration.
[edit] T-tail
The horizontal stabilizer is mounted at the top of the tail, with the vertical stabilizer accommodating the controls and motors for pitch and trim. It is commonly seen on rear-engine aircraft, such as the Boeing 727 or Douglas DC-9.
[edit] Cruciform tail
Arranged like a cross, the horizontal stabilizer intersects the vertical tail somewhere near the middle. The PBY Catalina uses this configuration.
[edit] Twin tail
Rather than a single vertical stabilizer, there are two. These are vertically arranged, and intersect or are mounted to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer. The Beechcraft Model 18 and many modern military aircraft use this configuration.
[edit] Triple tail
A variation on the twin tail, it has three vertical stabilizers. The best example of this configuration is the Lockheed Constellation. On the Constellation it was done to give the airplane maximum vertical stabilizer area, but keep the overall height low enough so that it could fit into maintenance hangars.
[edit] V-tail
A V-tail has no distinct vertical or horizontal stabilizers. Rather, they are merged into control surfaces known as ruddervators which control both pitch and yaw. The arrangement looks like the letter V, and is also known as a butterfly tail. The Beechcraft Bonanza Model 35 uses this configuration, as does the F-117 Nighthawk.
