Re: Elevator Trim Tab

["Brian K. Michalk" <michalk@sisko.awpi.com>]

> I am curious about one thing.
> 
> Why would you want to introduce even a minute' amount of external drag to
> the airframe when the idea is to reduce as much aerodynamic drag as
> possible for efficiency sake?

If there were a way to eliminate airframe drag, then I'm for it.
However, we can't have our cake and eat it too.  We've either 
got induced drag from lifting our heavy behinds and all of our
cool necessary gadgets into the air, or we have airframe
drag caused by things like cool air ducts, engine cooling,
main gear and external trim tabs.

Sure, everything is a tradeoff.  If I can save five lbs of
carrying capacity for a .5knot decrease in speed, I might 
go for it.  I have no idea what the numbers are though.




-- 
Brian Michalk  <http://www.awpi.com/michalk>
Life is what you make of it ... never wish you had done something.
Aviator, experimental aircraft builder, motorcyclist, SCUBA diver
musician, home-brewer, entrepenuer and SINGLE!