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Old 21st Aug 2011, 00:48
  #65 (permalink)  
stepwilk
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
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I don't get that "feather" mode though
The entire tail assembly--horizontal and dual vertical stabilizers--rotates up and forward into a very high-drag position, then relaxes into its normal position when the aircraft had "re-entered" and is at a safe airspeed. This negates the need for high-temp skins to survive atmospheric friction, since the aircraft never reaches high airspeeds.

The tail "feathering" has been a standard feature of free-flight model airplanes for decades, usually set off by a fused hold-down that burns through after a certain amount of time, to prevent the model from flying beyond a recoverable distance.
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