Why are engines mounted on wings?
Placing engines on the wing provides beneficial wing bending relief in flight. The further the engines are away from the fuselage the greater the wing bending relief so engines buried in the wing root provide little relief.
What is in the tail of an airplane?
The tail usually has a fixed horizontal piece, called the horizontal stabilizer, and a fixed vertical piece, called the vertical stabilizer. The stabilizers’ job is to provide stability for the aircraft, to keep it flying straight.
Why are tail mounted engines better than under wing engines?
Much drag is produced at the wings and along the body, so pushing the wings transmits less force through the plane than pushing the aft. If an engine explodes, consequences tend to be worse at the tail than under the wing. Put together, tail-mounted engines are less fashionable these days.
What are the pros and cons of a T tail?
The elevator and stabilizer are out of the way of FOD kicked up by the gear and engines. In the case of the Beech Skipper and Piper Tomahawk, it gives the airplane a “big plane” control feel in that the plane handles similar to a large aircraft with respect to the fact that the pilot does not get immediate control authority with added power.
Why was the tail position chosen for an airplane?
The tail position was chosen because three engines were enough for the optimum size of those airliners and equipping them with four engines had lowered efficiency. If you need to put three engines on an aircraft, one has to be in the line of symmetry, and here the best compromise was on or in the rear fuselage.
Do you have to have a T tail engine?
Aft-mounted engines require that the horizontal stabilizer be above the engines, usually resulting in a T-tail. There are some handling considerations with T-tail airplanes during stalls that must be addressed.