jmkenna

So from reading about the U-2, I gather that the newer models (from the U-2R) have an all-flying tail for trim control, to include pitching the vertical stabilizer fore and aft (effectively varying the vertical stab sweep angle). Is this correct? Why does the vertical stab move with the horizontal stab trim?

To explain some of the odd questions: I am an aerospace engineering student, and our semester project is to reverse-engineer the preliminary design of the U-2.

Does the U-2 encounter inertia-coupling effects at high altitude (presumably due to low control forces; due to low density)? If so, how do these most typically manifest themselves (behavior wise) in the U-2?

I've been around Mooneys, and yet never knew that. Good to know. Thanks!

Do you rotate on takeoff, or simply accelerate down the runway and the aircraft lifts off on its own at V_1?