Apparatus and method for trimming an aircraft stabilizer

An aircraft structure comprising:

• a fuselage, wherein the fuselage has a fuselage trailing end;
• a tail structure pivotally attached to the fuselage, the tail structure comprising:
• a tailcone configured to serve as a closeout fairing for the fuselage, wherein the tailcone comprises a tapered tailcone trailing end and a tailcone leading end opposite the tapered tailcone trailing end, and
• horizontal stabilizers fixed to the tailcone and each having a stabilizer leading edge and a stabilizer trailing edge, wherein the horizontal stabilizers extend in opposite directions from the tailcone, forming an H-tail or a U-tail configuration;
• a hinge support structure fixed at least partially within the fuselage, pivotally coupling the fuselage and the tail structure;
• and
• at least one internal actuator, wherein the at least one internal actuator is configured to rotate the stabilizer leading edge up and down along an arcuate path relative to the fuselage while maintaining closeout of the fuselage with the tailcone, wherein the fuselage trailing end has a concave arcuate shape and the tailcone leading end has a convex arcuate shape positioned at least partially within the concave arcuate shape of the fuselage trailing end, such that the convex arcuate shape of the tailcone leading end is rotatable within the concave arcuate shape of the fuselage trailing end while maintaining a relatively constant gap between the fuselage trailing end and the tailcone leading end throughout rotation along the arcuate path.

A method of trimming an aircraft stabilizer for vertical or horizontal stabilization during flight, the method comprising:

• sending a control signal to at least one internal actuator;
• receiving the control signal with the at least one internal actuator;
• and
• activating actuation of the at least one internal actuator in response to receiving the control signal, wherein the at least one internal actuator is configured to rotate a tail structure up or down along an arcuate path relative to the fuselage, wherein the tail structure is rotatably attached to the fuselage and comprises:
• a tailcone aligned with a trailing end of the fuselage and configured to maintain closeout of the fuselage with the tailcone throughout rotation up or down along the arcuate path, and
• horizontal stabilizers fixed to the tailcone, wherein the horizontal stabilizers extend in opposite directions from the tailcone, forming an H-tail or a U-tail configuration, wherein the tailcone comprises a tapered tailcone trailing end and a tailcone leading end opposite the tapered tailcone trailing end, wherein the fuselage has a fuselage trailing end having a concave arcuate shape and the tailcone leading end has a convex arcuate shape positioned at least partially within the concave arcuate shape of the fuselage trailing end, such that the convex arcuate shape of the tailcone leading end is rotatable within the concave arcuate shape of the fuselage trailing end during the rotating of the tail structure up or down while maintaining a relatively constant gap between the fuselage trailing end and the tailcone leading end throughout rotation along the arcuate path.