{
 "version": "2026-10-20",
 "license": "Dimension sheets: CC BY 4.0. Standard and published-size files: CC BY 4.0. Xem Studio's own designs (files_license = Xem Studio Design License): free to use and sell things from, not to redistribute as files — https://xemstudio.com/license/. Other publishers' files: their own license, linked beside them.",
 "slug": "flying-wing-tailless",
 "name": "Flying wing / tailless aircraft",
 "kind": "standard",
 "category": "Aircraft design",
 "group": "Tail configurations",
 "year": null,
 "question": "How does a flying wing stay stable without a tail?",
 "tags": [
  "vehicle design",
  "tail configurations",
  "rc design",
  "aerodynamics"
 ],
 "aliases": [
  "flying wing",
  "tailless aircraft",
  "flying wing rc",
  "flying wing design",
  "flying wing stability",
  "bell shaped lift distribution",
  "prandtl-d",
  "horten flying wing",
  "flying wing washout",
  "tailless glider",
  "elevon flying wing"
 ],
 "overall_mm": {
  "length": null,
  "width": null,
  "height": null
 },
 "official_cad": false,
 "xem_status": "free-files",
 "les": false,
 "free_files": 1,
 "url": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/flying-wing-tailless/",
 "sheet_txt": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/flying-wing-tailless/sheet.txt",
 "sheet": {
  "basis": "Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio",
  "overall_mm": {
   "length": null,
   "width": null,
   "height": null
  },
  "notes": [
   "A tailless aircraft provides pitch stability from the wing itself: on a swept wing, washout on the outer panel lets the tips act like a tail, matching tip and root angle of attack at the design condition (R/C Soaring Digest).",
   "NASA's Prandtl-D wings use Prandtl's 1933 bell-shaped lift distribution, which for a wing of constrained mass gives 11% less induced drag with 22% more span than the elliptical optimum, plus tip upwash and proverse yaw that let it fly without a fin (NASA Armstrong).",
   "Ground-effect reviews note flying-wing WIG craft have a small stable height-pitch range (Rozhdestvensky). Elevons replace elevators and ailerons (Heritage Concorde).",
   "Used on: NASA Prandtl-D, Concorde (tailless delta).",
   "The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle."
  ],
  "table": {
   "columns": [
    "parameter",
    "value or range",
    "source"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "Bell vs elliptical (constrained mass)",
     "11% less induced drag, 22% more span",
     "NASA Armstrong (Newton)"
    ],
    [
     "Prandtl-1/-2 span; Prandtl-3 span",
     "12.3 ft; 25 ft",
     "NASA Armstrong"
    ],
    [
     "Washout range on wings generally",
     "0-10 deg nose-down",
     "ERAU (Leishman)"
    ],
    [
     "Reference build",
     "span 1000, root 250, tip 120, LE sweep 25 deg, washout via twist",
     "illustrative"
    ]
   ]
  }
 },
 "sheet_text": "Flying wing / tailless aircraft — dimension sheet\nSource: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/flying-wing-tailless/  (sheet CC BY 4.0; files Xem Studio Design License, https://xemstudio.com/license/)\nBasis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio\nCatalog version: 2026-10-20\n\nSizes: see table below\n- A tailless aircraft provides pitch stability from the wing itself: on a swept wing, washout on the outer panel lets the tips act like a tail, matching tip and root angle of attack at the design condition (R/C Soaring Digest).\n- NASA's Prandtl-D wings use Prandtl's 1933 bell-shaped lift distribution, which for a wing of constrained mass gives 11% less induced drag with 22% more span than the elliptical optimum, plus tip upwash and proverse yaw that let it fly without a fin (NASA Armstrong).\n- Ground-effect reviews note flying-wing WIG craft have a small stable height-pitch range (Rozhdestvensky). Elevons replace elevators and ailerons (Heritage Concorde).\n- Used on: NASA Prandtl-D, Concorde (tailless delta).\n- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.\n\nparameter  value or range  source\nBell vs elliptical (constrained mass)  11% less induced drag, 22% more span  NASA Armstrong (Newton)\nPrandtl-1/-2 span; Prandtl-3 span  12.3 ft; 25 ft  NASA Armstrong\nWashout range on wings generally  0-10 deg nose-down  ERAU (Leishman)\nReference build  span 1000, root 250, tip 120, LE sweep 25 deg, washout via twist  illustrative\n\nFiles elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):\n- R/C Soaring Digest: Twist Distributions for Swept Wings, Part 2 (June 2002) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://new.rcsoaringdigest.com/2002/06/twist-distributions-for-swept-wings/[pdf].pdf\n- NASA Armstrong / UC Berkeley (L. Newton): Stability and Control Derivative Estimation for the Bell-Shaped Lift Distribution — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20180002374/downloads/20180002374.pdf\n- Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles: Wing Shapes and Nomenclature — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/\n- Progress in Aerospace Sciences (K.V. Rozhdestvensky, 2006): Wing-in-ground effect vehicles (review) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://www.hassanhameed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wingingroundeffectvehicles-130120003005-phpapp01.pdf\n- Heritage Concorde: The Wing — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://www.heritageconcorde.com/the-wing\n\nFree files (Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio; STEP + STL, 1 parts): https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/flying-wing-tailless/index.json\nAPI: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=flying-wing-tailless\n",
 "sources": [
  {
   "publisher": "R/C Soaring Digest",
   "title": "Twist Distributions for Swept Wings, Part 2 (June 2002)",
   "url": "https://new.rcsoaringdigest.com/2002/06/twist-distributions-for-swept-wings/[pdf].pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Publisher's page; dimensions are facts",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "NASA Armstrong / UC Berkeley (L. Newton)",
   "title": "Stability and Control Derivative Estimation for the Bell-Shaped Lift Distribution",
   "url": "https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20180002374/downloads/20180002374.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Publisher's page; dimensions are facts",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles",
   "title": "Wing Shapes and Nomenclature",
   "url": "https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Publisher's page; dimensions are facts",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Progress in Aerospace Sciences (K.V. Rozhdestvensky, 2006)",
   "title": "Wing-in-ground effect vehicles (review)",
   "url": "https://www.hassanhameed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wingingroundeffectvehicles-130120003005-phpapp01.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Publisher's page; dimensions are facts",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Heritage Concorde",
   "title": "The Wing",
   "url": "https://www.heritageconcorde.com/the-wing",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Publisher's page; dimensions are facts",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  }
 ],
 "xem": {
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  "mesh_price_usd": null,
  "step_price_usd": null,
  "tolerance_mm": null
 },
 "related": [
  "tail-volume-coefficient",
  "tail-moment-arm",
  "conventional-tail",
  "t-tail",
  "cruciform-tail",
  "v-tail"
 ],
 "fits": [],
 "dimensions": "exact (nominal, no printing tolerance)",
 "dimension_rule": "All geometry on Xem Studio is exact (nominal, true size) with no printing tolerance. Where a part meets another part, the object lists its mating features (feature, exact size, what it mates with, fit class: press, slide, run, socket, clamp or designed). Apply your process's allowance to those features only; 'designed' gaps are part of the design and stay as drawn.",
 "mating": [],
 "faq": [
  {
   "q": "How much washout does a flying wing need?",
   "a": "Enough that the outer panel balances the wing in pitch at the design lift coefficient (R/C Soaring Digest); Leishman gives 0-10 deg as the usual range for wings in general."
  }
 ],
 "files_license": {
  "name": "Xem Studio Design License",
  "holder": "Xem Studio",
  "url": "https://xemstudio.com/license/",
  "note": "Xem Studio's own design: free to use, print, modify and sell things made from it; not to be republished or redistributed as files."
 },
 "offers": [
  {
   "file": "flying-wing-tailless-wing",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "Xem Studio Design License",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/flying-wing-tailless/flying-wing-tailless-wing.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/flying-wing-tailless/flying-wing-tailless-wing.stl",
   "note": "swept planform: span 1000, root 250, tip 120 mm, LE sweep 25°, dihedral 0°, NACA 0012"
  }
 ],
 "markdown": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/flying-wing-tailless/index.md"
}