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Mystery Picture - Old Ideas? New Ideas?

Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
Does this method of hinging a trim tab look familiar? How about the way the hinge pin is secured?

IMG_0577.JPG


Guess the airplane! (Hint ? I took this while wandering around an interesting small airport yesterday?wonderful area, but I was flying, so I couldn't try the wine....)

Paul
 
Hmmmm

the vertical surface at the far end of the elevator is suggestive of either an Ercoupe or a Beech 18, or something similar. But the Ercoupe doesn't have a tab that I know of, and the Beech 18 tab doesn't extend all the way to the end like that, and I think the near-side rudder would have to be removed to get the end view you got.

So......maybe these thoughts will trigger a flash of insight by someone else.

As for the airport......guessing based on access to good wines,
Oceano or Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, Healdsburg, or? Parked on grass so my guess is Oceano. You did say "small" which in my mind rules out Napa, Santa Rosa, Santa Maria. I'd rule out Columbia because I haven't found any wine near there that is worthy.
 
Yes that technique does look familiar. I did my trim tab the same way. I saw that technique used on a T-18 25 or 30-years ago and copied it on my RV.

Unfortunately I do not know the airplane that your photo shows.
 
I won't keep folks hanging - it was a ramp queen Lockheed PV-2 sitting in the grass at Sonoma Valley (nice little airport on a Saturday afternoon - a Stearman giving rides, a P-40 being moved to the fuel pumps....).

I just found it interesting to see an old military design with the exact same method of trim tab attachment as we use on the RV's - good design ideas are always good design ideas and persist - especially when they are simple.
 
Sanoma Valley is 15 minutes from KCCR! Give me a shout next time you're in the area. I'm always looking for somewhere to fly my 3.
 
Ack.......

Had my 2 and V 180* out of phase--------no wonder I could not figure out the aircraft.

Would be real surprised to find that trim tab on this plane.

p2v_lockheed_neptune_vp65_jun1970.jpg
 
Varicam tail??

AS an aside, the P2V/SP2H had a "varicam" tail - the camber of the tailplane could be varied to provide trim control. Love to know how it worked - but presumably unlike the PV-2, it had no trim tab at all....

Chris
 
Ironflight said:
Does this method of hinging a trim tab look familiar? How about the way the hinge pin is secured?

IMG_0577.JPG


Guess the airplane! (Hint ? I took this while wandering around an interesting small airport yesterday?wonderful area, but I was flying, so I couldn't try the wine....)

Paul
Click to expand...

Here is what that technique looks like when done on an RV-6. (sorry about the poor lighting in the photo)
 
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