Influence of Tail Length upon the Spin-recovery Characteristics of a Trainer-type-airplane Model

Abstract : An investigation has been conducted to determine the effect of tail length on the spin and recovery characteristics of a model typical of a trainer-type airplane. The model used in the investigation was tested with two tail lengths, and the model having the shorter tail length was tested with several ventral fins installed in order to improve its recovery characteristics. The investigation showed that the model with the longer tail length had the better recovery characteristics even when the short-tail model had comparable or even higher values of tail-damping power factor.