Talk:3241: Horizontal Stabilizers

2026-05-06T10:15:51Z

178.119.6.18:

Was this late or was it just me?--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:08, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Somewhat late. Yes. But it's all good. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:11, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Publishing times are not very consistent. Mid-afternoon Eastern Time is not unusual. There have been quite a few times when it didn't arrive until late night, and occasionally even after midnight. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:12, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:About a day late from usual. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 20:20, 5 May 2026 (UTC)Pat
::Oh right, I didn't even realize it's Tuesday afternoon. So yes, very late. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:30, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:::That's what I thought--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:41, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
::And for more discussion (posted before this comic went live) see the bottom of yesterday's discussion. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 21:27, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Interestingly, the xkcd archive page tooltip shows the publish date as "2026-05-04". hmmmm [[User:RDiMartino|RDiMartino]] ([[User talk:RDiMartino|talk]]) 00:46, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

For those curious, an aircraft with one pair of wings is the aerodynamic equivalent of one pair of legs or wheels. It can work, but it requires careful considerations to keep it balanced. If a conventional aircraft loses its horizontal stabilizer, it will lose that balance and nose up or down uncontrollably. Aircraft that have no horizontal stabilizer usually use a method in which part of the main wing effectively functions in its place. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 21:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
: I usually manage to use my legs without much careful consideration. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:39, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Is it low resolution, or small size of the figures, that this comic looks "retro" like the first few hundred, before Randall's art became really regular (perhaps he uses templates or programmatic drawing now?) [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:06, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Considering the timing, it is likely this was a backup comic that's been sitting around a while. Randall has said in the past that he keeps about a dozen comics in reserve just for that purpose.[[Special:Contributions/52.213.77.206|52.213.77.206]] 06:44, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::Aha, 1+1=2, that makes total sense. The joke itself is also notably timeless. Could be written many years ago easily. Shall we adjust the description to indicate that this is likely a backup comic? Hope everything is well at the Randall household! [[Special:Contributions/178.119.6.18|178.119.6.18]] 10:15, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Sorry for the stupid question, but I don't know Darkstalkers outside of...those pix :-) Are the funny things on the heads of Lilith and Morrigan ailerons? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED|2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED]] 08:30, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3241: Horizontal Stabilizers