Quote:
Originally Posted by lunarhighway
have you considdered experimenting with a dorsal fin?
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Why would Jim consider adding area to the rear, while the centre of pressure is obviously still forward enough not to cause handling issues in sidewind conditions ?
A fin wouldn't cure an aft shift in CoP, it'd make it worse.
If not perfectly symmetrical to eliminate "lift", a vertical tail surface would add a permanent resultant sideways force working on the vehicle.
A fin also adds to the frontal area, and thus to the aerodynamic drag, the reduction of which is why the tail extension was built in the first place.