Tail slat question

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:16:48 -0000, "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.


Can't comment on slats, which implys to me moveable. But, the F-4E at
slots on the horizontal tailplane--fixed sections about two inches
extended from the leading edge of the tailplane sections and running
the entire length.

The slotted slab was one of the mods necessary to compensate for the
longer nose and forward weight addition of the gun. A #7 fuel cell was
added in the tail cone to increase extreme aft weight and the fixed
slots were added to the tail plane to provide increased aerodynamic
downforce to counter the nose gun.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8