Pelikan tail
The Pelikan tail is an experimental tail design for fighter jets. It was originally conceived by Ralph Pelikan,[1] who was hired by McDonnell Aircraft, later worked for McDonnell Douglas after the merger of McDonnell with Douglas and, after another merger, retired from Boeing. The concept was used in the Northrop YF-23 fighter. However, it has been considered or included in design specifications in the McDonnell Douglas BAE Joint Strike fighter (JSF) design which was eliminated before prototype stage[2][3]
Advantages and disadvantages
The Pelikan design differs from the typical layout of flight control surfaces and empennage (incorporating ailerons on the wing, a horizontal stabilizer with elevators and a vertical stabilizer with a rudder), in that it uses only two moveable surfaces in order to achieve control of pitch, yaw and roll. When evaluated by Boeing engineers in October 1998 while designing what became the X-32, they found advantages of greater pitch control at high angles of attack and that two tail surfaces would have a lower radar signature than the four surfaces eventually adopted.[1][2] However, they also found that using two larger control surfaces instead of four might actually make the aircraft heavier. The bigger hydraulic pumps and cylinders needed to operate the larger surfaces would add 800 to 900 pounds (360 to 410 kg) of weight to the design.[1] This and other factors made them use a four-surface tail instead.[1]
Tests by Virginia Tech students
Virginia Tech students built a model aircraft with a Pelikan tail and got positive results for its viability using a wind tunnel.[4] The analysis by the students found several advantages such as a lower vertical surface area, which aids in stealth; less drag due to skin friction; and a lower weight due to the need for two as opposed to the usual four hydraulic actuators.[failed verification][5]
See also
- Cruciform tail
- T-tail
- Twin tail
- V-tail
References
- ^ a b c d Evan Hadingham (2003-01-01). "Winner Take All (All the nail biting, second guessing, and sheer engineering brilliance in the battle to build the better Joint Strike Fighter.)". Air & Space Magazine: 2&3. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b "Nova Transcript: Battle of the X-Planes". PBS. 2003-02-02. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "McDD/Northrop/BAe ASTOVL/MRF/JAST/JSF studies". Secret Projects Forum. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ Paper on the 42nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit explaining the construction of a Pelikan tail model Archived 2006-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Virginia Tech on building An Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle for the Navy Archived 2013-03-17 at the Wayback Machine (explains technical details of the Pelikan tail)
- v
- t
- e
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture and Urban Studies
- Pamplin College of Business
- College of Engineering
- College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
- Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute
- School of Public and International Affairs
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Sciences
- College of Natural Resources and Environment
- College of Osteopathic Medicine
- College of Science
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
- Virginia Tech Foundation
- Biocomplexity Institute
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
- Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance
- System X
- System G
- Virginia Smart Road
- eCorridors Program
- e-58
- Stability Wind Tunnel
- PATH
- Virginia school of political economy
- VLA
- DARwIn-OP
- Nanoknife
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
- LibX
- Mid Atlantic Terascale Partnership
- VTLS
- Blacksburg Electronic Village
- Pelikan tail
- Virginia School Leaders Institute
- NIA
- Super Dual Auroral Radar Network
- eTBLAST
- Head impact telemetry system
- Metal rubber
- NEXTOR
- Sugar battery
- Virginia Cyber Range
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Fighting Gobblers
- HokieBird
- Old Hokie
- Tech Triumph
- Virginia Tech–Virginia rivalry (overall, football, and men's basketball)
- Virginia Tech–West Virginia rivalry
- Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech rivalry
- Virginia Tech-VMI rivalry
- Virginia Tech–Miami rivalry
- Virginia Tech–Boston College rivalry
- Football
- Men's soccer
- Women's soccer
- Men's basketball
- Women's basketball
- Baseball
- Softball
- Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
- Lane Stadium
- Cassell Coliseum
- English Field
- Berglund Center
- Collegiate Water Polo Association
- Thompson Field
- Collegiate Times
- Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets
- Highty-Tighties
- The Marching Virginians
- The New Virginians
- Virginia Tech Rescue Squad
- The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech
- United States v. Morrison
- WUVT-FM
- WVTF
- HEVT
- WBRW
- Tech Talk Live
- Radio IQ
- Index of Middle English Verse
- Hahn Horticulture Garden
- Hokie Stone
- Graduating Peter
- New River Valley
- History
- Virginia Tech shooting
- Stroubles Creek
- Blacksburg Transit
- Valley Metro
- Police Department
- Founded: 1872