Gallery of V-tail aircraft, butterfly tail civil aircraft airplane jet.

The butterfly or v-tail is not new; it has been around almost since the dawn of human flight. Even though the control problems are slightly more complex than a conventional tail, the butterfly consistently finds its way through history into a surprising number of designs. Probably the most widely known use of the butterfly would be the Beechcraft Bonanza. Fouga had a long love affair with the butterfly tail, making a series of small jets which culminated in the ubiquitous and very successful CM170 Magister. The supreme application of the butterfly would be the astounding Bugatti 100P, an incredibly futuristic racer developed in the 1930's. This aircraft never flew but it was a superb example of Etore Bugatti's work and sense of visual harmony.

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	The butterfly or v-tail is not new; it has been around almost since the dawn of human flight. Even though the control problems are slightly more complex than a conventional tail, the butterfly consistently finds its way through history into a surprising number of designs. Probably the most widely known use of the butterfly would be the Beechcraft Bonanza. Fouga had a long love affair with the butterfly tail, making a series of small jets which culminated in the ubiquitous and very successful CM170 Magister. The supreme application of the butterfly would be the astounding Bugatti 100P, an incredibly futuristic racer developed in the 1930's. This aircraft never flew but it was a superb example of Etore Bugatti's work and sense of visual harmony.
			Bugatti 100 racer of the 1930s. An aircraft of truly awsome aesthetics on a par with the YF-23 in terms of harmony, balance, and elegance.