Xem Studiomeasured geometry

Library › Aircraft design › Tail configurations ·

Twin-boom tail

What is a twin-boom tail and when is it used? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio

Also called: twin boom, twin boom aircraft, twin boom pusher, twin boom rc plane, twin tail boom, pod and boom twin, twin boom uav, p-38 twin boom, twin boom tail design

Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.

sizes
2 in table

Notes

  • A twin-boom layout carries the tail on two booms instead of a fuselage, usually with an H-tail joining them; Bhattacharya et al. note the added weight of twin booms and propwash drag on the tail.
  • The FAA notes pusher propellers suffer more damage than tractors because of lower ground clearance (FAA Powerplant Handbook), and booms leave the space behind a central nacelle open for one.
  • The P-38 is the classic example; NASM describes it as a 'twin-tail boom and twin-engine fighter'.
  • Used on: Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
  • 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.

Twin-boom tail size chart

parametervalue or rangesource
Tail sizingtail volume as conventional (Vh 0.50 / Vv 0.04 homebuilt)HAW Hamburg Table 2.1
Reference buildboom length 500 mm, H-tail Sh 40,000 mm^2computed

Where the files are

Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.

Smithsonian National Air and Space MuseumLockheed P-38J-10-LO LightningwebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
engrXiv (Bhattacharya et al., ICMMM 2023)Design and Computational Analysis of Y-tail Configuration for Maritime UAVwebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
FAAAviation Maintenance Technician Handbook - Powerplant, Ch. 7 PropellerswebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
HAW Hamburg (Aircraft Design and Systems Group)Empennage sizing: tail lever arm as % of fuselage length (thesis; Table 2.1 typical tail volume coefficients)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts

Free files

★ Free files 1 parts. Xem Studio design: free to use, print and sell things from; not to be republished as files. Xem Studio Design License. index.json

twin-boom-tail-tailtwin boom layout: horizontal span 400 × chord 100, vertical 100 × 80 mm on a 500 mm boom, NACA 0009 surfacesSTEP · STL
Let your AI pull this. Add https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.
Set it up →

Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=twin-boom-tail

Twin-boom tail, isometric render of a generated part
Render of twin-boom-tail-tail from the free STEP; not to scale.

Fits with

Tail volume coefficient (horizontal and vertical tail sizing), isometric render of a generated part
Tail volume coefficient (horizontal and vertical tail sizing)19 sizes★ 1 file
Tail moment arm (tail lever arm ratios), isometric render of a generated part
Tail moment arm (tail lever arm ratios)11 sizes★ 1 file
Conventional tail (low-mounted stabiliser and single fin), isometric render of a generated part
Conventional tail (low-mounted stabiliser and single fin)5 sizes★ 1 file
T-tail (stabiliser on top of the fin), isometric render of a generated part
T-tail (stabiliser on top of the fin)4 sizes★ 1 file
Cruciform tail (stabiliser part-way up the fin), isometric render of a generated part
Cruciform tail (stabiliser part-way up the fin)2 sizes★ 1 file
V-tail (butterfly tail with ruddervators), isometric render of a generated part
V-tail (butterfly tail with ruddervators)8 sizes★ 1 file

Questions

Why use twin booms on a pusher RC plane?

The booms carry the tail around the space behind the pod where a pusher prop turns; pushers are prone to ground strikes (FAA Powerplant Handbook).