Quote:
Originally Posted by Zathros
The Beechcraft Bonanza (Doctor Killer) ruddervators ...
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Yeah, I was also going to point out the nickname. Classicly the tailplanes allow you to go back and forth in a flat plane (rudder) and roll (elevators). The elevators also assist the climb but the history of development shows that they had their biggest impact in allowing an actual turn (rather than a flat turn).
The twin tail thing of recent jets has been dealt with except for the comment of "the Russians did it so we want one too!" itis that led to the F-15. Dihedral on the wings helps with lift during a turn since one wing winds up more or less parallel to the ground. Descending during a turn is an issue as one can imagine. However, high performance aircraft were, since about WWII timeframe, built to be on an edge for stability, etc., which meant that near zero dihedral was necessary for best performance with high powerplant aircraft. There are MANY other factors that come into consideration for this including wing cross section, fuselage shape, etc.
For the "Doctor Killer" I don't know the actual history but you would need to actively tweak both rudders since you couldn't actually yaw independently of roll. Seems difficult to me.
Carl