The Flight Characteristics of a Commuter Aircraft Employing Outboard Horizontal Stabilizers

A description is given of the outboard horizontal stabilizer (OHS) system in which the horizontal tail surfaces are mounted outboard of the mainplane tips, in the wing upwash, at the extremities of booms projecting downwind from the mainplane tips. The theory of operation of the OHS concept is reviewed together with the current development status. Configurational geometries of OHS and comparable conventional aircraft are defined and first order, comparative, performance analyses are presented for cruise, take-off and landing modes of operation. It is shown that the pitch-mode control of OHS aircraft does not present any problems relative to the control, in pitch, of comparable conventional aircraft. It was also shown that the OHS concept makes possible a reduction of the drag of the wing and tail surfaces of about 20% together with a reduction in planform area of, typically, 13%.