V Tailed Aircraft - Basically, there are three Bonanza models out there in the market: Model 35, Model 33, and Model 36. Out of these three, Model 35 catches the eyes of all at a glance with its vertical tail, while the other two variants were designed to have conventional tail arrangements.
To enter the masses, AVL also offers the possibility to enter the masses and inertias as a text file. An example is omitted at this point. The sum of the individual centers of gravity then results in a total mass, the center of gravity and the inertia tensor. With this, calculations for dynamic stability are now also possible. If a calculation is performed in AVL, the results can be output graphically within the program in the Trefftz plane (suitable for visualizing lift distributions, cf. first figure below) or as a text file. In addition, qualitatively the lift distribution can be displayed three-dimensionally on the aircraft (cf. second figure below).
V Tailed Aircraft
The V tail offers some advantages over the conventional tail. First, there is one less surface to construct, and one less surface hanging out in the breeze. In theory the V tail aircraft will have less drag, and hence a higher cruise speed, than an otherwise identical conventional tail aircraft. This is indeed the case. The V tail Bonanza was always about 5 knots faster than its Debonair sibling, all else being equal.
Available Models
In 1984, a close friend of Donald L. Monday, the president of the American Bonanzasociety died in a V-tailed Bonanza in-flight breakup. This single crash flipped the stance of society in the in-flight breakup controversy. The society was baking Beechcraft throughout the allegations and suddenly Monday requested FAA to investigate the matter.
When looking for the ideal assortment packed with passenger safety, high performance, sleek design, and operational reliability, only a few aircraft top the list. And the V tail Bonanza ranks above many not just because of its unique V tail design but because of its unmatched capabilities. Most of the variants of the Bonanza are categorized under the high-performance aircraft category as they are capable of delivering an engine power greater than 200 horsepower.
Beechcraft Bonanza holds the record for the longest continuous production run for a general aviation aircraft. Starting from 1947, more than 17,000 aircraft have been manufactured, and many more are waiting to join the list in the future too!
The wing provides lift by pushing air down in a rather elegant way that minimizes drag. As air passes around the wing, its direction is rotated slightly so that it leaves the trailing edge with a downward motion component. This rotation force tends to pitch the nose down, and must be counteracted by a down force on the tail. In stable level flight, the tail is providing a significant down force that looks just like additional weight to the rest of the airplane--weight that must be made up by additional lift from the wing (with corresponding additional drag). But the tail has the same properties as a lever--use a longer moment, and the pitch force of the wing can be counteracted by a smaller downforce on the tail. So the longer moment solution has less drag for two reasons--less area than its short-tail counterpart, and less downforce.
One Accident Made An Impact
In the area of flight mechanics, the calculation of the maximum rudder torques now follows, which results in the requirements for the control system. In addition, the exact design of the V-tail geometry is to be determined in collaboration with the structure team.
When the ruddervators move in unison (both up or both down together) their opposing yaw forces cancel out, and the result is a pure pitch input. When they move in opposition, their opposing pitch forces cancel out, and the result is a pure yaw input. Motions in between create a combination of pitch and yaw effects. Because the pitch and yaw controls in the cockpit are independent (the yoke or stick for pitch and the rudder pedals for yaw), a mechanical device called a "mixer" combines their inputs into the proper action for each ruddervator. This process is transparent to the pilot, who experiences control forces and aircraft responses the same as a conventional tail aircraft.
Third, we decided to provide the same trim mechanism that Mooney uses (among others)--the entire tail tilts up or down slightly to account for changes in speed or load. This eliminates the dual trim tabs, with their attendant complexity and drag (and potential as a source for flutter).
If you had reservations, we hope you feel better about V tails now. We think we have a good solution for what we're trying to do, one that is efficient and aesthetic, that provides a distinctive alternative to the current offerings.
In-Flight Structural Failures – Was The Bonanza Cursed?
To ensure the flight mechanical stability and controllability of the FVA-30, an adapted tail unit and appropriately dimensioned control surfaces are required. Last year, in coordination with the LBA (German FAA), conformity with parts of the CS-23 certification regulation was worked out due to the twin-engine nature of the FVA-30. The new requirements, together with more precise flight-mechanical coefficients and modified center-of-gravity estimates, prompted a new design calculation for the V-tail.
One interesting difference is that the V tail aircraft must have a trim tab on each ruddervator. The trim tabs move in unison to provide pitch trim; they can also move differentially to provide yaw trim (or any combination of the two.) This is something most small aircraft don't have (and mostly don't need, unless they are twins.) However, the trim tabs represent some additional complexity, and to be intuitive will also need a "mixer" device.
It is remarkable that the numerically determined rudder deflections in the longitudinal movement, which poses the more safety-critical requirements, are so close to the analytically calculated rudder deflections. Compared to the design case 01-Lo-PL-GA-VS0-CGFPM, there is only a deviation of 1.1% to the safe side. In the lateral movement, a larger deviation of 9.4% exists due to the worse condition of the problem. Apart from this, the static stability reserve is above 5% except for the fast flight case 04.2-Lo-CS22.161-TR-2.0VS1-CGH-PW. Since the fuselage influence on the aircraft neutral point is overestimated with the cross fuselage method, an even larger stability reserve can be expected. For the fast flight case, a center of gravity limitation of the most aft attitude may need to be applied during flight testing.
After the Bonanza ran into trouble a chorus of criticism arose that involved several issues. People began to talk about the "Bonanza Boogie", a tendency for the plane to hunt around in yaw unless flown carefully. Aftermarket devices, much like the skegs on surfboards, were fitted to reduce this tendency. The in-flight breakups spelled doom for the V tail model, however, and it was dropped in favor of its straight-tailed sibling, which then inherited the name as well.
Here Is The Verdict
First, we deliberately made the tail "larger" than is common practice, to provide an excess of stability that eliminates the chance of "boogie" or dutch roll. Note that the stabilizing effectiveness of the tail is a combination of its area and its moment (distance) from the wing. A short tail moment requires a larger tail area to achieve the same stability as a long tail moment and a smaller tail area. However, the long moment wins on several important counts:
Starting from the C35 model, Beechcraft introduced a major modification to tackle the tail yaw: they increased the stabilizer chord by extending the leading edge. But, the designers introduced a major flaw by the modification leaving the front par as it is and extending the leading edge. Torsion loads twisted the stabilizer beyond the threshold during high angle of attack operations and high control surface deflections. This led to the majority of in-flight breakups and cost many lives.
An aircraft with a full tank could fly a little longer than 7 hours with a fuel consumption rate of 12-15 gallons per hour. When flying at full throttle, the rate is in the range of 15-20 gallons per hour.
With the G2+ Vision Jet, the Williams FJ33-5A engine has been finely tuned with a newly optimized thrust profile that provides up to 20% increased performance during take-off – providing added reassurance in hot temperatures and high elevations and access to additional airports at popular destinations across the globe.
Vb – Last In The Line
According to some users, apart from the V tail Bonanzas, tail wag is present in other Bonanza models with a straight tail as well. When considering in-flight breakups, earlier models were more prone to breakups while newer models handled the torsion loads when flown within the flight envelope.
Fourth, both the Windwalker and Cosman LSA tails are built like a Mack truck. They have two internal spars made from carbon fiber and epoxy, and are attached to the fuselage with a really burley 4130 steel weldment.
For the lateral motion, the lift requirements are well below the nonlinearity in the lift rise (cA;tail < 0.65), so that the maximum rudder angles for the antimetric rudder deflection at the V-tail do not need to be corrected. Due to the deviation of the numerical recalculation in the design case 54-La CS23.147ed-SFSEI-1.4VS1-CGB-SMSEI, the rudder deflection is raised to ζV;max;geo = 15°.
When we hear the name Bonanza in an aviation context, the list of pros goes on and on in our minds. But there is one thing that makes us retreat – the higher rate of in-flight breakups. If someone is going to own a Bonanza, this is a MUST read!
Beech Model
Second, the tail is providing lift (albeit negative) just like the wing. The drag associated with creating this lift can be reduced by giving the tail a long span and a high aspect ratio. This also provides additional stability because it better matches the change in tail lift to the change in wing lift as the angle of attack changes--there is less trim change with changing speed or load.
However, according to a plethora of happy Bonanza owners, the tail yaw can be corrected from a slight pressure at the rudder. Any airplane – even the state-of-the-art jetliners – inherits its own drawbacks. Once the ideal idiosyncrasies are identified, V tail Bonanza is capable of giving the pleasure of flying anyone has dreamed of.
Ultimately, after years of controversies and investigations, FAA issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (A.D) limiting the maneuvering speed of the aircraft. As a result, Beechcraft developed a beef-up kit to strengthen the stabilizer. The speed restriction was then removed for the aircraft that had undergone the modification.
Let us boil this entire context into a few words: V tail Bonanza is a go-to workhorse that is packaged with power, comfort, and reliability. The first time you step into a Bonanza, it makes you feel like you have found the missing piece of your life. But on the flipside, tail yaw at turbulence and inflight breakups – that have not happened recently – are real concerns.
A Miracle Of Aeronautical Design
The tail unit geometry resulting from the analytical consideration and its flight mechanical parameters were finally compared with those of the e-Genius as part of a plausibility check. Overall, the newly designed empennage is very similar to the e-Genius from a flight mechanics point of view.
According to CS-23.147: Max. Pitching flight with additional unilateral engine failure at 1.4*VS1 (VS1: cruise minimum speed), while the remaining drive provides full thrust (at pos. pitching angles the failure of the left drive (looking in flight direction) would be critical for the required rudder deflection, for example).
From the introduction of the aircraft, Beechcraft came up with a series of minor tail modifications where non of them addressed the in-flight breakup issue. Later, Beechcraft joined hands with some other parts suppliers and extended their efforts to mitigate the tail issue.
Numerical recalculation: Subsequently, the overall configuration was recalculated numerically (in AVL) for many different, expected flight conditions (including those from the certification regulation CS-22). In this case, the previously specified maximum rudder deflections, including a safety buffer for nonlinearities, must not be exceeded. The pitch and yaw moments generated by the engine thrust are included via trim conditions. Secondary effects, however, such as an increase in dynamic pressure due to additional blowing (propeller) or propeller jet constriction were not taken into account here.
Analytical Design
The team decided to introduce a separate stub spar to support the front spar of the stabilizer and Beechcraft denied the fact that a stub spar could assist the front spar with the torsion loads and the modification was halted. Later FAA found that Beechcraft’s decision to halt the mod was not backed by a firm premise.
Throughout the history of aviation there have been a number of very successful aircraft that employed V tails. They run the gamut from gliders to ultralights to midget racers to mainstream piston and jet aircraft~ and mainly fly just like their conventional-tail counterparts. In recent years, however, the Beech Bonanza received some negative press and was the subject of some FAA action based on a growing (but sparse) history of in-flight break-ups. We'll come back to this in a minute.
A second and probably more important benefit relates to how the vertical and horizontal tail surfaces interact during high angle-of-attack maneuvers like stalls and spins. Rudder effectiveness is decreased because some portion of the rudder is blanked out by the wake from the stabilizer/elevator/fuselage combo. This effect can be annoying or deadly, depending on the configuration of the aircraft. In some cases, the effect is strong enough to render the rudder ineffective at stopping a developed spin. NACA (forerunner to NASA) studies in the '40's showed the V tail to be more resistant to spins, and more effective at neutralizing them.
Most of the pilots who owned Bonanzas in the 50s and 60s lacked the preparedness to fly an advanced aircraft. As the aircraft was having a peculiar and perilous wag in its fork-shaped tail that could lead to flutter and ultimately break apart, many people used to specifically name the aircraft as ‘forked tail doctor killer’. With the accidents, aircraft sales fell amidst the concern and reinstated with time when pilots got more exposure to the aircraft characteristics along with effective modifications.
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