• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Why not a "Rhino Rudder"? Why can`t it work?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

CobraCar11

Active Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
34
Location
Pleasant Grove, UT, USA
I am new to aviation. I have a technical background, worked as a mechanic to put myself thru college. I have read about the "Rhino rudder" that Rutan tried, and the reasons why people say it's not a good idea.

The mechanic in me sees this kind of like `4 wheel steering` and would give some more control. Why couldn`t this work in concert with a standard rudder? I have read how some people have mentioned the force being in front of the CG, and it's kind of like throwing a dart backwards, and I understand the analogy. My question is that as I sketched out a map of the forces, why couldn`t it work WITH a standard rudder, and turn the plane with more control like how 4 wheel steering works in vehicles?

I know Iam comparing two industries, and two environments with tires pushing against solid ground instead of air. Couldn't it work like a canard system, how it shares some of the lift? For example, the Rhino Rudder could act like front wheel steering and carry 25% of the turn, while the Rudder carries the 75%?

4 wheel steering allows vehicles to make tighter turns. I understand about the instability of the plane trying to swap ends if the "Rhino rudder" worked by itself, but couldn`t it work in a system.

I searched for other threads, but did not find lots of other threads that went beyond the fact that it wouldn`t work because it was ahead of the CG, etc.

It works great in my head (ha ha) so hopefully I didn`t just give away a patentable breakthrough! Somehow, I think I didn`t....... :)

Thank you in advance for your patience!

Safe flying.
 
Back
Top