Do those small rear wings produce lift?

Question

Y' know those fins on the tail, I think they call "em vertical stabilizers, Are they shaped like a wing so they help hold the plane up.

Answer 1

The vertical stabilizers produce no lift.



The horizontal stabilizers can produce some supporting lift when the Centre of Gravity is at its aft limit on some aircraft (like the Cessna 172). Usually, it produces a downforce (in the same way lift is produces) to balance the forces on the aircraft and keep it stable in pitch (nose up and down).

Answer 2

What you are talking about is the rudder assembly. These can be one or two.



The rudder assembly consists of the vertical "fin" which is fixed in the fuselage and does not move. The fin holds the rudder (movable left and right) in place. The fin is streamlined with equal camber on both sides, hence does not provide any lift. The movable rudder is also streamlined and shaped like an aerofoil with equal camber on both sides, hence non lift generating. The rudder assembly does not hold the aircraft up, but controls the yaw around its vertical axis and helps to make the aircraft turn.



On some aircraft. for added stability, there is a strake which runs forward from the fin shaped like a triangle with one side longer (towards the fuselage) and the point towards the nose.

Answer 3

The vertical fins housing the rudder are called "vertical stabilizers". They dont produce any lift, they are for directional stability.



You must be talking about horizontal stabilizers a.k.a tailplanes. Tail planes can and usually produce lift, either positive or negative to trim the aircraft. Yes, they are shaped liked wings and contribute a lot to the stability of the airplane.

Answer 4

Yes. And No.



You're thinking of the horizontal stabilizers, rather than the vertical stabilizer.



The horizontals feature a control surface called an elevator, which depending on the control inputs, (or trim tab settings, which is another discussion,) pitch the nose of the aircraft up or down depending on the commanded input. Canards, (also another discussion,) do the same thing.



With conventional aircraft, the horizontals use the shape of the wing and elevators to create lift on the horizontals or destroy it over the horizontals, causing the entire airplane to pitch, respectively, nose down or nose up.



The all flying tail, such as you'd see on old B-17's is another discussion for a day when I'm really bored.



Fly the Friendly Skies!

JT

Answer 5

Yes, any wing produces lift. How and in what direction depend on several variables (angle of attack, camber, etc). A wing with zero camber at a relatively high angle of attack will produce lift. Imagine a flat piece of metal held out the window of a moving car at a 45 degree angle to the oncoming wind stream. The angle-of-attack to the prevailing wind stream determines the relative vector force, forcing wing up, down, or neutral.



The small rear wings (the horizontal stabilizers)stabilize an aircraft about its pitch axis. When the pilot wants the aircraft to pitch nose-down, the pilot inputs cause the control surfaces (elevators) in the horizontal stabilizer to pitch up (lift) relative to the prevailing wind angle-of-attack, rotating the aircraft around the pitch center-of-gravity. The tail goes up, the nose goes down, and an aircraft descends. Same is true in the opposite.



The vertical stabilizers, named because they are up-and-down with respect to the aircraft fuselage, hold the rudder. They too are aerodynamically shaped (wing shaped), though in most aircraft they produce equal amounts of lift on both upper and lower camber.

Answer 6

they produce lift downwards with most classical airplanes. they are ballancing the aircraft. the lift of main wings resulting force works as a given distance from the center of ballance, the longer is the distance the more stable aircraft. the lift effect point is behind the center of ballance. the lift of the stabilizer counter the momentum resluting in the force at lever effect. the lever of the downwards stabilizer lift is longer and then only smalle force and smaller "wing" is needed to counter the "head heavy" tendency of the main wing.



with F 16 typical unstable plane, the lift effect point is in front of the center of ballance making it inheritely unstable. uin this case the stabiliser really produce lift upwards and help the aircraft to counter the gravity.

Answer 7

An airplanes has 2 forces acting on it's wing CG and Center of pressure. The centre of pressure is the point where all the wings efforts are translated. The CG is the center of gravity. In a perfect world the CP and CG positions would overlap. But they are constantly changing. Fuel burm moves CG increased and decreased Angle of Attack moves the CP. Flaps and Slats move CP and a hundred more things.



When the CP is more aft than CG the planes pitches down. When fore up. The elevator creates a positive or negative force to counteract this.

Answer 8

Re: Charles M: The CG and CP are not really forces acting upon the wing. They act along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

In any event, the horizontal tail produces a downward moment/force which counterbalances the normal position of the CP (Center of Pressure), which is aft of the CG (Center of Gravity). The CP aft of the CG produces a nose-down pitch moment, which is counterbalanced by the horizontal tail's downward (nose up) moment. Placement of the CG aft of the CP would be problematic. There is such a thing as a tailplane stall, classically caused by ice accumlation on the horizontal tail...

Answer 9

They actually do the opposite at speed they're supposed to push the rear end down, giving you more traction. This is why you see race cars often take flight when they swap ends in a spin.

Answer 10

those r elevators, they make the plane go up n down.