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vertical stabilizer

American  

noun

Aeronautics.
  1. the fixed vertical surface of an aircraft empennage, to which the rudder is hinged.


vertical stabilizer British  

noun

  1. the US name for fin 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two are mounted under the wings, and a third is built into the tail at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

The Associated Press quoted Clint Johnson with the National Transportation Safety Board as saying the plane struck a tree, rendering its vertical stabilizer inoperative.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2023

The Washington Post verified the visuals and, using the number “24” on the plane’s vertical stabilizer, determined that the aircraft was a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2022

The Airbus 380 struck the vertical stabilizer of the Comair plane, basically struck the tail of the plane.

From Reuters • Apr. 12, 2011

The tail looked much larger when he got next to it, with a major part of the vertical stabilizer showing and perhaps half of the elevators.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen