Twin tail

<h2 id="design">Design</h2>

<p>Separating the control surfaces allows for additional <a href="/facts/Rudder/w675HJUP">rudder</a> area or vertical surface without requiring a massive single tail. On multi-engine <a href="/facts/Propeller_(aircraft)/6d4y4bEr">propeller</a> designs twin fin and rudders operating in the propeller <a href="/facts/Spiral_slipstream/hGTSYo0n">slipstream</a> give greater rudder authority and improved control at low <a href="/facts/Airspeed/BbJIjqSs">airspeeds</a>, and when <a href="/facts/Taxiing/YzIhJTk4">taxiing</a>. A twin tail can also simplify <a href="/facts/Hangar/bRBnDpfx">hangar</a> requirements, give dorsal gunners enhanced firing area, and in some cases reduce the aircraft's weight.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> It also affords a degree of <a href="/facts/Redundancy_(engineering)/odqzTmIo">redundancy</a>: if one tail is damaged, the other may remain functional.
</p><p>Most often, the twin vertical surfaces are attached to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer, but a few aircraft, like the <a href="/facts/Armstrong_Whitworth_Whitley/CRfUWqzY">Armstrong Whitworth Whitley</a>, <a href="/facts/Mitsubishi_G3M/MPhomIgX">Mitsubishi G3M</a> and <a href="/facts/Dornier_Do_19/h1WYrkvM">Dornier Do 19</a> bombers, had their twin vertical surfaces mounted to the upper surface of the fixed stabilizer instead, at some distance <i>inwards</i> from the horizontal stabilizer's tips.
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<h2 id="variations">Variations</h2>
<p>Many <a href="/facts/Canard_(aeronautics)/f7x8A5Un">canard</a> aircraft designs incorporate twin tails on the tips of the main <a href="/facts/Wing/6v6VAUT2">wing</a>. Very occasionally, three or more tails are used, as on the <a href="/facts/Breguet_Deux-Ponts/ypuJcT0e">Breguet Deux-Ponts</a>, <a href="/facts/Lockheed_Constellation/IzreIUqh">Lockheed Constellation</a> and <a href="/facts/Boeing_314_Clipper/yBjmt78J">Boeing 314 Clipper</a>. A very unusual design can be seen on the <a href="/facts/Grumman_C-2_Greyhound/e14o93fW">C-2 Greyhound</a> and <a href="/facts/E-2_Hawkeye/S6VPh4ct">E-2 Hawkeye</a>, which has two additional vertical tails fixed to the horizontal stabilizer between the normal vertical twin-tail surfaces. This arrangement was chosen for the stringent size limitations of carrier-based aircraft.
</p><p>A special case of twin tail is the twin-boom tail or double tail, where the aft airframe consists of two separate fuselages, "tail booms", which each have a rudder but are usually connected by a single horizontal stabilizer. Examples of this construction are the twin-engined <a href="/facts/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning/obGnR2Db">Lockheed P-38 Lightning</a>; <a href="/facts/Northrop_P-61_Black_Widow/wRc72ktU">Northrop P-61 Black Widow</a>; <a href="/facts/Focke-Wulf_Fw_189/gSVF0YKt">Focke-Wulf Fw 189</a>; the single jet-engined <a href="/facts/De_Havilland_Vampire/WaeuJmTq">de Havilland Vampire</a>; cargo-carrying <a href="/facts/Fairchild_C-119_Flying_Boxcar/vpfjCEfz">Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar</a> and the little known <a href="/facts/Transavia_PL-12_Airtruk/dJSveN92">Transavia PL-12 Airtruk</a>.
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<h2 id="notable-twin-tail-aircraft">Notable twin-tail aircraft</h2>
<p>Significant aircraft with twin tails include the <a href="/facts/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator/xAzkkWGS">Consolidated B-24 Liberator</a>, <a href="/facts/Handley_Page_Halifax/h7Cb8n4e">Handley Page Halifax</a>, <a href="/facts/Avro_Lancaster/9ndbwh9b">Avro Lancaster</a>, and P-38 Lightning. The arrangement is not limited to <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>-era aircraft, however. Many <a href="/facts/Fighter_aircraft/NuIvaGJg">fighter aircraft</a>, like the <a href="/facts/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat/Ana2Iw4D">Grumman F-14 Tomcat</a>, <a href="/facts/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle/8ublq0RC">McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle</a>, <a href="/facts/Sukhoi_Su-27/Cv9mDD6T">Sukhoi Su-27</a>, <a href="/facts/MiG-29/3XfCqsJU">MiG-29</a>, and <a href="/facts/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II/8y6zYaxe">Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II</a>, make use of twin tail configurations, as do civilian and cargo designs like the <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-14/pdIDJxHb">Antonov An-14</a>, <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-22/8q7jS9wc">Antonov An-22</a>, <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-28/qq8vNUUN">Antonov An-28</a>, <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-38/vlG93Bae">Antonov An-38</a>, <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-225/J3znmW7G">Antonov An-225</a>, <a href="/facts/Beechcraft_18/Agsly4jA">Beechcraft 18</a>, <a href="/facts/Beriev_Be-12/INt7Cs9N">Beriev Be-12</a>, <a href="/facts/ERCO_Ercoupe/LzsS7sQB">ERCO Ercoupe</a>, <a href="/facts/Short_330/W3vXCSHT">Short 330</a>, <a href="/facts/Rutan_Long-EZ/kJ9z7LLM">Rutan Long-EZ</a> and <a href="/facts/SpaceShipOne/80LUjFgH">SpaceShipOne</a>.
</p><p>The <a href="/facts/Bell_Boeing_V-22_Osprey/Ytjrq0mB">V-22 Osprey</a> uses a twin tail arrangement.
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Cruciform_tail/3Q4cwqc8">Cruciform tail</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pelikan_tail/jRl7h5kg">Pelikan tail</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/T-tail/Iwua3B5U">T-tail</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/V-tail/FEvF1GKF">V-tail</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Schiff, Barry: Flying, page 15. Golden Press, New York, 1971. Library of Congress 78-103424 <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Pilot Training Manual for the B-25 Mitchell Bomber. Headquarters, AAF, Office of Flying Safety. 1944. p. 17. Retrieved 7 May 2021. A twin tail section with large rudders increases stability and manuverability and allows a greater concentration of firepower to the rear. <a href="https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualForTheMitchellBomber" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualForTheMitchellBomber</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Twin tail open-in-new

Twin tail