Effect Of The Fixed Horizontal Tail On Flight Characteristics In Circling

Abstract

Many flight characteristic evaluations of sailplanes with fixed hrorizontal tails have shown that the flight handling in circling, especially in turbulent thermals, is influenced by the horizontal tail -design. Degraded.circling flight characteristics reduce the climb performaice and affect the cross country speeds especially in typical European weather conditions. Starting with lhe mechanics of circling and the aerodynamics of the horizontal tail, the effects of the following items on circling characteristics are evaluated using the ASW-19 as an example: 1. Location of center of gravity (C.G. ), 2. Bank angle in circling, 3. Wing lift coefficient increase, 4. Wing loading change. Finally, horizontal tail designs are presented that reduce the disadvantages of the fixed horizontal tail regarding circling flignt characteristics.