The RC L-1011’s Iconic Tail Takes Shape
Commercial Airliners are pretty run of the mill these days in their general shape and design. Most can’t distinguish one model from another. Is it a Boeing or an Airbus? A 757 or an A330? Although they are at the cutting edge of aerospace technology, there is no mistaking the last Airliner made by Lockheed Martin… The L-1011 TriStar aka The Whisper Liner.
Update: August 22, 2020 - I was lucky enough to have an aerospace engineer reach out to me and give me a few tips on how to improve the structure of the vertical stabilizer. I am completely reworking this section of the plane. More renderings to come.
It has taking countless hours working on the tail section of my RC L-1011 1:20 scale model. There are so many details to this most recognizable and elegant section of the plane. Designing the S-Duct and blending in the formers, longerons and stringers to curve smoothly around it was a big challenge. The way the underside transitions from the wing-box to the jet nozzle while accommodating the travel area of the stabilator, was another significant challenge.
The rudder in this model was originally designed to have a 2 servo configuration. After some suggestions and comments from Instagram followers, I removed one of the servos. This result gave me more room to reinforce the lateral stability of the vertical stabilizer with the added bonus of less weight. This edit decreased the movement from the Center of Gravity in this design is a very good thing.
One of the challenges I still need to overcome is the stabilator. It will run on a dual servo setup, which means more weight in the very rear of the aircraft. I will play around with a few more design ideas to move the weight forward. I need to make sure I’ve got a good CG envelope.
