Thread: B2 Split Rudder
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Old April 8th 04, 11:40 PM
D. Strang
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"Emilio" wrote

As for crosswind landing B2 needs to be slipping on approach and not crabbing.
Am I right?


The wingspan dictates that slipping not be performed on "heavy" aircraft. You can
slip them, but not close to the ground during final. The B-2 is crabbed for a
standard procedure landing.

The other situation where large rudder input is needed is during spin
recovery. Was B2 ever tested for spin recovery?


No. The B-2, like all "heavy" aircraft, are never spun. The closest you get to
this, is what's called "Approach to stall." Basically you approach a stall,
experience stick shaker, and alarms, get a rapid loss of altitude, and those
that go further will need to eject if equipped, those that aren't can just enjoy
the ride down.

Or do the flight computer simply will not let B2 into spin situation? What if
split rudder gets damaged on one side? Do you loose B2 at that point?


Any aircraft can be made to spin. The software prevents the normal stuff.
There is a lot of redundancy in the B-2, and I don't think any one thing will
cause a loss given enough altitude and fuel to stabilize an emergency landing.