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A 'stabilator' is an aircraft control surface that combines the functions of an elevator and a horizontal stabilizer. Most fixed-wing aircraft control pitch using a hinged horizontal flap — the elevator — attached to the back of the fixed horizontal stabilizer, but some aircraft make the entire stabilizer movable.

Contents

General aviation

Military

Airliners

External link

General aviation

Because it involves a large moving surface, a stabilator can allow the pilot to generate greater pitching moment with the same amount of effort, but that also leads to a greater risk of a stall — as a result, stabilators on general aviation aircraft normally contain an anti-servo tab (sometimes combined with the trim tab) that deflects in the same direction of the stabilator, making it more difficult to move suddenly. General aviation aircraft with stabilators include the Piper Cherokee, Mooney M20 and the Schweizer SGS 2-33 sailplane.

Military

Stabilators are almost universal on modern military combat aircraft. All non-delta-winged supersonic aircraft use stabilators because with conventional control surfaces, shockwaves can form at the elevator hinge, eliminating the elevator's effectiveness as an aerodynamic control surface.
Stabilators are also known in military terminology as 'all-moving' or 'all-flying tailplanes'. When stabilators also include the function of ailerons, as they do on many modern fighter aircraft, they become 'tailerons' or 'rolling tails'. A stabilator mounted in front of the main wing is a 'canard'.

Airliners

Most modern airliners adjust the angle of the tailplane to trim during flight as fuel is burned and the center of gravity moves. One of the few large airliners that has stabilators for control as well as trim is the Lockheed L-1011.

External link

★ Stabilators (NASA) — includes Java applet