In article ,
cavelamb himself wrote:

Alan Baker wrote:


The one thing not quite right is that there is no important difference
between tractor vs. pusher configurations with respect to directional
stability.

Like some of the early rocket designers (e.g. Goddard), you are falling
into the fallacy that somehow pulling is more stable than pushing. This
is not so.


Actually, there is some difference in stability between tractor and pusher.

It's because of the volumn necesary to envlose the engine.
And the propeller disk.

Area (volumn) ahead of the CG should be considered destabalizing.

Conversly, (expecially propellers) aft of the CG contribute to better
stability.

That's a separate issue from tractor vs. pusher. True, the layout can
influence the volume question, but one is not a function of the other.

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
http://gallery.me.com/alangbaker/100008/DSCF0162/web.jpg