I did not see how this could be, but I flew the Bonanza, first without the channel, and then with it. I kicked the rudder pedals a number of times and duly noted my subjective impression of the damping-that is, the number and size of oscillations required to return to steady flight. I am embarrassed to report that I did feel that the airplane with the channel was a little stiffer direction-ally. Possibly placebo effect. The V-tail empennage was invented and patented in 1930 by a Polish pilot and aircraft designer, Jerzy Rudlicki, but it remained a rarity. The Stanley Nomad sailplane appeared in 1938, and after being converted from a conventional to a V-tail, it competed impressively in the 1939 National Championships. Fatefully, one of those impressed was Walter Beech.
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