26th Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences
including the 8th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference
14 - 19 September 2008, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Paper ICAS 2008-2.11.2

OPTIMISING HIGH-EFFICIENCY RUDDERS FOR TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT FUEL BURN REDUCTION

M. Laban, M. H. Smaili, D. R. van der Heul, P. Arendsen, B. A. T. Noordman*
NLR, Netherlands; *National Aerospace Laboratory, NLR, Netherlands

Keywords: double-hinged rudder, vertical tail plane

The vertical tail plane contributes significantly to the drag of a transport aircraft. Higher efficiency of the rudder allows reduction of the tail plane size. Results of a multiple-surface rudder optimisation are presented taking objectives and constraints from aerodynamics, structural mechanics, systems and handling qualities into account.

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