# How many "V" tails entered production?



## Capt. Vick (Aug 19, 2009)

Was wracking my brain tonight trying to get to sleep and I was trying to answer the following: Are the Beech Bonanza and the Fouga Magister the only two aircraft to enter production with a "V" tail?


----------



## GrauGeist (Aug 19, 2009)

The F-117 and UAV aircraft like the Global Predator have 'em...

I think the Global Hawk has an inverted V tail...or it might be the other way around.


----------



## vikingBerserker (Aug 19, 2009)

I believe the F-117 has a V tail.


Dang GG beat me to the draw!


----------



## A4K (Aug 19, 2009)

Good calls guys! The UAV has the inverted V-tail GG, btw.

I seem to remember other types with them...need to check up on some sources about that. Offhand the He 162 would 'almost' fit into the category, although technically, she was a double tailed with V-form tailplanes..

Not counting the gap between the tailplanes , the YF-23 might almost fit the category too....


----------



## Capt. Vick (Aug 19, 2009)

How could I have missed the F-117?  Thanks for that one!

And I'll give you the "Black Widow II" A4K. I was thinking of one set of control surfaces that do the work of two. Another good one - that's thinking outside the box, BUT sadly it did not enter production... I always thought it looked the better of the two.


----------



## Graeme (Aug 19, 2009)

Interesting thread Vick. How many aircraft produced meet your criteria of "entered production?" There are many 'one-offs' but numbered production varieties are certainly very limited. However, here's another, the* Robin ATL* of which 132 were manufactured...





Robin ATL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## vikingBerserker (Aug 19, 2009)

I know it did not reach production, but I never heard of a v-tailed Me 109.

http://rareaircraf1.greyfalcon.us/picturese/g309.jpg

Anybody else ever heard of this??


----------



## GrauGeist (Aug 19, 2009)

vikingBerserker said:


> I know it did not reach production, but I never heard of a v-tailed Me 109.
> 
> http://rareaircraf1.greyfalcon.us/picturese/g309.jpg
> 
> Anybody else ever heard of this??


The Germans had been playing with V tail concepts for a while. Even the Me262 and He162 had conceptual designs with a V tail. The next step for the Me262 was to have the engines moved into the wings and a V tail at the end of a slightly lengthened fuselage.

No surprise though, the V tail was first done by a Polish engineer back in the 30's.


----------



## Trebor (Aug 20, 2009)

GrauGeist said:


> The F-117 and UAV aircraft like the Global Predator have 'em...
> 
> I think the Global Hawk has an inverted V tail...or it might be the other way around.



the Predator's got an inverted V-tail. and the Hawk's got an upright one.


----------



## GrauGeist (Aug 20, 2009)

Trebor said:


> the Predator's got an inverted V-tail. and the Hawk's got an upright one.


Ahh..ok, so I had it backwards.

Thanks!


----------



## Capt. Vick (Aug 20, 2009)

I never heard of the Robin ATL. Interesting "kite", even had forward swept wings. Hey, that may be another thread...Ju 287, X-29, Robin Atl, Hansa jet(?). Perhaps for another sleepless night.


----------

