split elevator / no ailerons ?

[CoolDom]

Can I split the elevator to act as ailerons? How would I program my Hitech Optic 6 to accomidate this? Any input helps Thanks.

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
Unless the elevator has an unusually long span, you will get very little roll control fro a differential movement. The problem is one of moment arms. The longer wing provides resistance to rolling, while the shorter horizontal tail cannot create enough roll force to overcome the wing. This can change if you were building a wide body twn jet such as the F-18. The tails on that baby are nearly as long as the wing, and have a fairly powerful roll force, but only when the wing is stalled at very high angles. It still uses ailerons for conventional flight.
Cheers, Dave