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From: David Lednicer <dave@amiwest.com>
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.homebuilt
Subject: Re: horizontal tail stall?!
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 19:24:54 GMT

  Horizontal tail stall on a conventionally configured aircraft is very
dangerous.  Certified aircraft have to demonstrate that they are
designed so this cannot happen.

  During flight testing of a certain GA aircraft intended for
certification, the first time that Norm Howell dropped the flaps, the
horizontal tail stalled.  Norm says that the airplane instantly went
over on its back and started an inverted spin.  Cool Norm reached over,
retracted the flaps and then recovered from the spin.  Eventually, in
the wind tunnel we found that the airplane needed a cambered (upside
down) airfoil on the horizontal tail.

                           -Dave Lednicer

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