The tail of an aircraft does more than look balanced. The empennage, also called the tail assembly, holds the stabilizers and control surfaces that keep the aircraft pointed where the pilot wants it.

Two main surfaces form the unit. The vertical stabilizer supports the rudder for yaw control. The horizontal stabilizer supports the elevator for pitch control. Some aircraft add a ventral fin for extra stability at high angles of attack.

Common empennage layouts

• Conventional tail with one vertical fin
• T-tail with the stabilizer mounted on top
• Cruciform tail crossing the fuselage
• V-tail combining pitch and yaw in two surfaces

The empennage sits in disturbed airflow from the wings and fuselage, which makes its design trickier than it looks. Spin recovery and deep stall behaviour depend heavily on tail geometry.