PPRuNe Forums - Pro's and Con's for a T-Tail

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenstrokeroll (Post 7590180)

A t tail allows for placing engines on the rear end of the plane...this allows for more efficent design of the wing

it allows engines to be closer together and allows for a smaller rudder/vertical fin to compensate for engine out situations, thereby reducing drag.

however putting all that stuff on the tail makes the plane tail heavy and it must be carefully balanced up in the nose.

my favorite plane is the DC9...flys great...engines at the tail means they are slightly more protected and no one has been sucked into the engines on a DC9.

oh, and putting the engines in the tail means the whole plane is quieter.

Should the thread really be about the advantages & disadvantages of placing engines at the rear against under the wing?

This is really trivia, but how many planes without rear mounted engines but with a T tail can you name? And vice versa.

(The DC10 & L1011 with both underwing & rear mounted engines are a special case.)