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Old 19th September 2005 | 02:46
  #15 (permalink)  
Mad (Flt) Scientist
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: La Belle Province
Correlation is not cause and effect.
Moving the cg aft also increases the minimum control speed. Would you argue that decreased tail trim load causes increased VMC? I hope not.

Consider this example:

I take a delta-winged type - let's say a Mirage - and put a tailplane on it (maybe top of the fin?)

Now, I trim the aircraft in level flight, using the conventional Mirage trim system of wing t/e devices. I control tailplane angle such that there is ZERO tail load.

Alongside I fly another Mirage, but with no added tailplane.

The tailplane is carrying no load, yet I absolutely guarantee that it is making the aircraft more stable in pitch, as you'd be able to see if both planes were hit by the same gust.

In fact, I could mistrim the t/e surfaces to induce either an upload or a download on the added tailplane, and the "tailed Mirage" would STILL be more stable than the conventional one.
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