Thread: Tail Types
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Old 06-30-2009, 06:45 PM
Zathros Zathros is offline
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The Beechcraft Bonanza (Doctor Killer) ruddervators had a tendency to flutter, which caused a few tail sections to fall off. Pilots were told to keep their feet on the rudder pedals to act as shock absorbers ( you should always have your feet on the rudder pedals!). I worked on a few of these planes ( I used to work under an A & P who was also an A.I.) and managed to do quite a bit of work on small aircraft. I had a few chances to fly in the Bonanzas but they had a very narrow and tricker loading criteria which made them not to forgiving. I'll take a Piper Lancer anyday over a Bonanza. Mooney also had a strange rudder which was slanted foward. These planes had a high rates of accidents but it was mostly due to the wing cross section which was a laminar flow style and could stall at full speed. You really had to cut back into the wind to get the air flowing again, sometimes as much as 10 degees, but what a fun plane to fly. All my knowledge is based on working on the airplanes and flying with the pilots of these planes and may not match "offical" data.
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