Vertical Tail Offset

Rob58

Rob58

Moderator
Something that is a little hard to notice on a covered fuselage is the offset of the vertical stabilizer to compensate for the P-factor left turning force. On my 14-19-3 parts plane I was a bit surprised to see how obvious this is: a 1/2 inch at the forward attach point. It's really clear when looking straight down from the top of the stab. Wonder if the same offset was used on all 14 series aircraft or if the degree of offset was changed as the horsepower increased?
 
Rob, I will look at a 14-13 carcass and see if it is the same offset, but something I think is very important is a straight rudder. One year at Columbia I walked the line and looked at rudders from the top (tail draggers only) and found most had some twist or bow to them and the more pronounced it was, the larger the trim tab was. I suspect that it can make a significant drag increase at cruise speed. Our rudders are very easily warped when they are being recovered by uneven shrinking. The 14-19-3 rudder is no sturdier than a 14-13 rudder. Just another thing to look out for in ancient airplanes. _____Grant.
 
Grant, ever since you met me in Willows and looked at the rudder on 08R this issue really stuck in my mind - one of the first things I look at when checking out different aircraft (as rare as it is to find one)... Rob
 
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