What do we know about the airplane stabilizer? Most ordinary people simply shrug. Those who loved physics at school may be able to say a few words, but, of course, experts will most likely be able to answer this question most fully. Meanwhile, this is a very important part, without which flight is virtually impossible.
The basic structure of the aircraft
If you ask to draw several adult airliner, the pictures will be about the same and will differ only in details. The layout of the aircraft, most likely, will look like this: cockpit, wings, fuselage, interior and the so-called tail. Someone will draw portholes, and someone will forget about them, maybe some more little things will be missed. Perhaps artists will not even be able to answer why certain details are needed, we just don’t think about it, although we see planes quite often, both live and in pictures, in movies and just on TV. And this, in fact, is the basic structure of the aircraft - the rest, in comparison with this, is just trifles. The fuselage and wings actually serve to lift the airliner into the air, control is performed in the cockpit, and passengers or cargo are in the cabin. Well, what about the tail, why is it needed? Not for beauty after all?
Tail
Those who drive a car know very well how to go to the side: you just need to turn the steering wheel, after which the wheels will also move. But the plane is a completely different matter, because there are no roads in the air, and some other mechanisms are needed for control. Here pure science comes into play: a large number of different forces act on the flying machine, and those that are useful are strengthened, and the rest are minimized, as a result of which a certain balance is achieved.
Probably, almost everyone who saw an airliner in his life paid attention to the complex structure in its tail - the plumage. It is this relatively small part, oddly enough, that controls this entire gigantic machine, forcing it not only to turn, but also to gain or lose altitude. It consists of two parts: vertical and horizontal, which, in turn, are also divided in two. The steering wheel is also two: one serves to set the direction of movement, and the other - height. In addition, there is a part with which the longitudinal stability of the airliner is achieved.
By the way, the airplane stabilizer can be located not only in its rear part. But more on this later.
Stabilizer
The modern aircraft layout provides many details necessary to maintain the safe state of the airliner and its passengers at all stages of the flight. And, perhaps, the main one is the stabilizer located at the rear of the structure. It is, in fact, just a bar, so it’s amazing how such a relatively small detail can in any way affect the movement of a huge airliner. But it is really very important - when this part breaks down, the flight can end very tragically. For example, according to the official version, it was the airplane stabilizer that caused the recent crash of the Boeing passenger plane in Rostov-on-Don. According to international experts, the inconsistency in the actions of the pilots and the error of one of them triggered one of the plumage parts, moving the stabilizer to a position characteristic of the peak. The crew simply couldn’t do anything to prevent a collision. Fortunately, aircraft construction does not stand still, and each subsequent flight gives less and less space for the human factor.
Functions
As the name implies, the aircraft stabilizer serves to control its movement. Compensating and damping some peaks and vibrations, it makes the flight smoother and safer. Since there are deviations in both the vertical and horizontal axis, the stabilizer is also controlled in two directions - therefore, it consists of two parts. They can have a very different design, depending on the type and purpose of the aircraft, but in any case are present on any modern aircraft.
Horizontal part
She is responsible for balancing vertically, not allowing the machine to "peck" every now and then, and consists of two main parts. The first of them is a fixed surface, which, in fact, is a stabilizer for the height of the aircraft. On the hinge to this part is attached a second - steering wheel, which provides control.
With a normal aerodynamic design, the horizontal stabilizer is located in the tail. However, there are also designs when it is in front of the wing, or there are two of them at all - in the front and back. There are also the so-called "tailless" or "flying wing" schemes, which do not have horizontal plumage at all.
Vertical part
This part provides the aircraft with directional stability in flight, preventing it from wagging from side to side. This is also a composite structure, in which a fixed vertical stabilizer of the aircraft or keel is provided, as well as a rudder on a hinge.
This part, like the wing, depending on the purpose and required characteristics, can have a very different shape. Variety is also achieved through differences in the relative positions of all surfaces and the addition of additional parts, such as a fork or ventral crest.
Shape and mobility
Perhaps the most popular in civil aviation is the T-plumage, in which the horizontal part is at the end of the keel. However, there are some others.
For some time, the V-plumage was used, in which both parts simultaneously performed simultaneously the functions of both horizontal and vertical parts. Complex management and relatively low efficiency did not allow this option to spread widely.
In addition, there is a spaced vertical plumage, in which its parts can be located on the sides of the fuselage and even on the wings.
As for mobility, usually stabilizing surfaces are rigidly fixed relative to the housing. Nevertheless, there are options, especially when it comes to horizontal plumage.
If you can change the angle relative to the longitudinal axis on the ground, this type of stabilizer is called interchangeable. If control of the aircraft stabilizer can occur in the air, it will be mobile. This is typical for heavy airliners that need additional balancing. Finally, on supersonic vehicles, a mobile airplane stabilizer is used, which also serves as the elevator.