The cruciform tail is an aircraftempennage configuration that, viewed edge-on, looks much like a cross. In this arrangement, the horizontal stabilizer intersects the vertical tail somewhere near the middle, and above the top of the fuselage. Often this arrangement is chosen to keep the tail out of the engines' slipstream or to avoid complex interference drag. An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Empennage is an aviation term used to describe the tail portion of an aircraft. ... A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars intersecting each other at a 90° angle, dividing one or two of the lines in half. ... In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ... In aerodynamics, interference drag is a component of parasitic drag which is caused by vortices. ...
Some recognizable aircraft with cruciform tails are the A-4 Skyhawk, Sud Caravelle, PBY Catalina, and Commander 112. The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (formerly A4D Skyhawk, Douglas later McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing) is an attack aircraft originally designed to operate from United States Navy aircraft carriers. ... Sud Aviation Caravelle The SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner, produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 (when it was still known as SNCASE). ... The PBY Catalina (aka PBY Canso) was the definitive air-sea rescue aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. ...
Tail surfaces are used to both stabilize the aircraft and provide control moments needed for maneuver and trim.
In this arrangement the vertical tail does not benefit from the endplating effects obtained either with conventional or T-tails, however, the structural issues with T-tails are mostly avoided and the configuration may be necessary to avoid certain undesirable interference effects, particularly near stall.
Tail t/c values are often lower than that of the wing since t/c of the tail has a less significant effect on weight.
In aircraft a T-tail is an arrangement of the tail control surfaces with the horizontal surfaces (tailplane and elevators) mounted to the top of the fin, rather than the more common location on the fuselage at the base of the fin.
The tail surfaces are mounted well out of the way of the rear fuselage, permitting this site to be used for the aircraft's engines.
The Sud Aviation Caravelle is an aircraft with this configuration (see cruciformtail).
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