Cruciform tail

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2021}}

{{Short description|Aircraft tail configuration}}

File:Jetstream31.jpg with cruciform tail]]

File:rcafnb.jpg showing its cruciform design tail]]

The cruciform tail is an aircraft empennage configuration which, when viewed from the aircraft's front or rear, looks much like a cross. The usual arrangement is to have the horizontal stabilizer intersect the vertical tail somewhere near the middle, and above the top of the fuselage. The design is often used to locate the horizontal stabilizer away from jet exhaust, propeller and wing wake, as well as to provide undisturbed airflow to the rudder.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thoracentesis.science/2022/03/cruciform.html|title=Cruciform tail Pros and Cons|work=thoracentesis.science|archive-url= https://archive.today/20230529152830/https://www.thoracentesis.science/2022/03/cruciform.html|archive-date= 29 May 2023|url-status= live}}{{Cite web|url=https://aerotoolbox.com/design-aircraft-tail/|title=Aircraft Horizontal and Vertical Tail Design|date=8 August 2017|website=AeroToolbox|archive-url= https://archive.today/20230529152817/https://aerotoolbox.com/design-aircraft-tail/|archive-date= 29 May 2023|url-status= live}}

Prominent examples of aircraft with cruciform tails include the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck, the British Aerospace Jetstream 31, the MiG-15, the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner, and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer.