"Jim Doyle" wrote:

Hello all,

Just a quick question - do any aircraft have slats installed on the leading
edge of the horizontal tailplane?

Rather like slats would be used on the main wing section but - instead of
providing helpful lift - they're just to counter a very large pitching
moment on approach when wing-mounted high lift devices are deployed.

Thank you in advance!

Jim D


No Jim, never. By your post you seem (like a lot of people) to
believe that the horizontal stabilizers on the tailplane help to
carry the aircraft's weight.

This is not true.

The tailplane is designed merely to control the wing which does
the whole of the lifting job. The tail actually 'pushes down' in
level flight. This produces 'fore and aft' stability just as wing
dihedral produces horizontal stability.
--

-Gord.