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Why stabilator is used in small airplanes

Asked by: 3639 views General Aviation

Hello. I'm curious as to what makes it so attractive to use a stabilator in some small airplanes like Piper Cherokee or Seminole. Its primary purpose is to allow the pilot to control a pitch movement with a less force (which I presume better serve big airplanes), and if so, wouldn't a horizontal stabilizer coupled with an elevator be a better choice for the manufacturers, especially given that a stabilator installed in small airplanes typically requires an antiservo tab to prevent overcontrol by the pilot?

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2 Answers



  1. Tailwheel on Mar 07, 2017

    Great question!

    A stabilator is attractive to aircraft designers because it allows the aircraft to more efficiently manage pitch: ie: to maintain any desired pitch attitude with less drag than a conventional stabilizer and elevator combination.

    A stabilator is merely a small upside down wing. If you look at it from the side, you can see that it’s an airfoil.

    A horizontal stabilizer + elevator, on the other is typically a flat plate hinged on another flat plate. Clearly not as efficient a lift-generating device as a stabilator.

    Since the tail section of an aircraft in unaccelerated flight is always generating downward force, then it follows that ther is an advantage in ensuring that such a force is generated with a minimun of drag.

    Less drag translates into better marketing figures for the manufacturers, eg:
    1: Faster aircraft
    2: more load carrying
    3: Higher service ceiling

    Hope this helps.

    Matt Crane
    ATP MEL
    COMM SEL, SES
    PVT GLI
    CFI/CFII/MEI/AGI (Gold Seal)

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  2. Brian on Mar 15, 2017

    Tailwheel – Can you source that? I’ve been picking through books for the last two days trying to find any mention of a stabilator being used to reduce induced drag and have come up empty.

    Notice most military fighters use this design and they use flat plates on the tail. Their reason for it is 1) more control and 2) to handle the tremendous pitching moments encountered when transitioning to super sonic.

    The answer is simpler: it’s more effective.
    The negative: it’s a heavier system.

    Cherokee’s use them probably because of the relatively short tail. A conventional stabilizer/elevator configuration would likely not give the necessary control.

    The anti servo tab isn’t there to keep the pilot from over controlling; although this is the end result. It’s purpose is to provide control feel. That is, when you pull back, the tab moves up and the controls feel heavier. If it were reversed, like a servo tab, then pulling back would cause the controls to fly into your lap; it would exhibit negative static stability.

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