[Grut]

Just so we aviator types can read other Freepers' comments without flinching:

The part of the tail that stands up straight is called the 'vertical stabilizer'; the hinged bit on the back of this is called the 'rudder'.

The little wings at the back are the 'horizontal stabilizers'; the hinged bits at the backs of these are the 'elevators'.

'Stab' is an accepted contraction for 'stabilizer'.

[Solson]

But where are the flaperons?

[El Gato]

The little wings at the back are the 'horizontal stabilizers'; the hinged bits at the backs of these are the 'elevators'.

True, except that most high speed aircraft, certainly modern ones, have all flying horizontal tail surfaces. Meaning that the whole thing moves, rather than just having a hinged part at the rear that does so. The Airbus A-300 has such a horizontal stab, as do the Boeing 757 and 767.

[Dead Dog]

YES!

And Trim does not necessarily mean a deflection of the elevator or rudder, it could be any method used to neutralize control forces (as felt by the pilot) at any given airspeed. ie, if trimed for 200kts it will fly at 200 kts regardless of power settings.

[anymouse]

All together it's called the empenage.

Now that we have our terms straight, can we agree that wenn the empenage and engines fall off it doesn't matter if it was a terrorist bomb, sabatoge, piss poor maintenance or design flaw, the plane ain't going no where but down resulting in lots of funerals, worried passengers and spiraling airline and aircraft builder stock prices.

[MarkWar]

>Just so we aviator types can read other Freepers' comments without flinching...

"There's trouble in the cockpit!"

"What is it?!"

"It's that little room at the front of the plane. ..."

Mark W.

[KC Burke]

It's my understanding that the 2'20" gap between planes was more than adequate to not have wing tip vorticies be a major issue. As I got the impression that you are a pilot...what is your estimation of the odds that the pilots, upon the sudden loss of the rear stabilizer section (due to causes as yet unknown), for the first few seconds (as recorded on the voice recorder) might have mistaken the shudder/shake and then twisting uncontrol of that event for the heavy buffeting and shaking of an encounter with non-existant wing tip turbulance?

[Lower55]

And if the whole horizontal stabilizer moves, and not just the elevators, it is called a stabilator.