Light aircraft, low wing versus high wing.
Forums › General Discussion › Light aircraft, low wing versus high wing.-
What are your thoughts on low wing design on light aircraft (such as the piper) as opposed to a highwing design like cessna aircraft?
Personally I would of thought that high wing would be more stable but cause more drag.
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Yes and greater visibility too the sky and land to the pilot
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Actually, depending on the camber of the wing and the overall wing area itself, there wouldn't be much of an increase in drag in the high wing design. Where additional drag is introduced is in the wing struts common on the C152, C172, C182, etc. The Cardinal (C177B) does not require the wing strut and it is a laminar flow wing so the drag issue was resolved.
The dihedral of the piper allows for more positive stability at the cost of aircraft control.
Also at play is the fact that in a low wing aircraft, the pilot sits above the lateral axis and feels more of the turbulence in rough air than a pilot sitting below the wing in a high wing aircraft.
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⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
So it is fairly balanced out.Actually, depending on the camber of the wing and the overall wing area itself, there wouldn't be much of an increase in drag in the high wing design. Where additional drag is introduced is in the wing struts common on the C152, C172, C182, etc. The Cardinal (C177B) does not require the wing strut and it is a laminar flow wing so the drag issue was resolved.
The dihedral of the piper allows for more positive stability at the cost of aircraft control.
Also at play is the fact that in a low wing aircraft, the pilot sits above the lateral axis and feels more of the turbulence in rough air than a pilot sitting below the wing in a high wing aircraft.
Personally I prefer high wing as the turbulence is not as noticeable and of course you can get a better view if the ground. Also they seem to be able to fly slower without stalling
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I think it all depends on how you land. ✈🔥🔥😲
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Personally, I prefer the x wing.
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⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Translated pleaseActually, depending on the camber of the wing and the overall wing area itself, there wouldn't be much of an increase in drag in the high wing design. Where additional drag is introduced is in the wing struts common on the C152, C172, C182, etc. The Cardinal (C177B) does not require the wing strut and it is a laminar flow wing so the drag issue was resolved.
The dihedral of the piper allows for more positive stability at the cost of aircraft control.
Also at play is the fact that in a low wing aircraft, the pilot sits above the lateral axis and feels more of the turbulence in rough air than a pilot sitting below the wing in a high wing aircraft.
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Flying is dangerous!?!?
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Fizzone wrote:
I've heard the TIE fighters have a little mores stability with vertical wings and such...Personally, I prefer the x wing.
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Carpenter wrote:
But again, you're discussing a trade off between stability, and agility.Fizzone wrote:
I've heard the TIE fighters have a little mores stability with vertical wings and such...Personally, I prefer the x wing.
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Fizzone wrote:
Yes, but for most pilots prefer the lack of gravitational effect on the TIE when encountering gravitational fields of other celestial objects. X-wings are a little shaky when the gravity is more than 1.3X10^-12 meters per second squared.Carpenter wrote:
But again, you're discussing a trade off between stability, and agility.Fizzone wrote:
I've heard the TIE fighters have a little mores stability with vertical wings and such...Personally, I prefer the x wing.
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This is the greatest thread ever. I just about 💩 myself laughing... I prefer the X-wing bahahahahah
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PROJECT_HAWK23 wrote:
suum cuique pulchrum est, translated into latin for ya.⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Translated pleaseActually, depending on the camber of the wing and the overall wing area itself, there wouldn't be much of an increase in drag in the high wing design. Where additional drag is introduced is in the wing struts common on the C152, C172, C182, etc. The Cardinal (C177B) does not require the wing strut and it is a laminar flow wing so the drag issue was resolved.
The dihedral of the piper allows for more positive stability at the cost of aircraft control.
Also at play is the fact that in a low wing aircraft, the pilot sits above the lateral axis and feels more of the turbulence in rough air than a pilot sitting below the wing in a high wing aircraft.
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The TIE fighter seems to have some advantages in a dogfight when flown in manual mode (pilot control). With the weapons being located just below the feet of the pilot and the center of rotation being out the front windscreen, aiming and firing would be a lot more accurate since that sight picture would be more WYSIWYG. The X-Wing, although a more classic design, mounts the laser canons on the wing tips, the parallax would hinder manual targeting. Of course, this would all be a moot point with the advances in computerized guided weaponry in a galaxy, far, far away.....
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Ʋɴίτ ⑦⑧⑨Ⓞ wrote:
I think it all depends on how you land. ✈🔥🔥😲
Interesting point you bring up here. The landing characteristics of a low wing are quite a bit different than the high wing due to the phenomenon known as Ground Effect.
When an airplane, approaching an airport for a landing, gets within the width of one wingspan (around 30-40' depending on the airplane), it enters Ground Effect. This is produced when the downward flow of the air, coming off the trailing edge of the wing, contacts the ground and causes a buffer of sorts. This can lead to increased lift and early airflow separation. After flaring on a landing roll, the low wing enters ground effect before the high wing aircraft would and will therefore float in ground effect quite a bit longer. For most airports with sufficient runway lengths (read as >3000'), this 'floating' can be bled off before the end of the runway and a safe landing achieved.
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C130 going down the strip
Gonna take a little ride,
gonna take a little trip
Stand up buckle up shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to fourIf my chute dont open wide
I have another one by my side
If my reserve dont blossom round
Ill be the first one on the ground----
That's what I thought of as I was reading some of your posts. Lol -
"If I could be a bird, I'd be a Flying Purple People Eater, because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song."
— Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts -
⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Lol"If I could be a bird, I'd be a Flying Purple People Eater, because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song."
— Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts -
⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Ah, finally, someone with knowledge in the department of aeronautics and physics! 😺...My older cousin pilots aircraft occasionally and he prefers the low wing. Myself, I prefer the same, but it seems that the high-wing aircraft have a greater sense of balance.Actually, depending on the camber of the wing and the overall wing area itself, there wouldn't be much of an increase in drag in the high wing design. Where additional drag is introduced is in the wing struts common on the C152, C172, C182, etc. The Cardinal (C177B) does not require the wing strut and it is a laminar flow wing so the drag issue was resolved.
The dihedral of the piper allows for more positive stability at the cost of aircraft control.
Also at play is the fact that in a low wing aircraft, the pilot sits above the lateral axis and feels more of the turbulence in rough air than a pilot sitting below the wing in a high wing aircraft.
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⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
You lost me at pointwrote:
I think it all depends on how you land. ✈🔥🔥😲
Interesting point you bring up here.
When an airplane, approaching an airport for a landing, gets within the width of one wingspan (around 30-40' depending on the airplane), it enters Ground Effect. This is produced when the downward flow of the air, coming off the trailing edge of the wing, contacts the ground and causes a buffer of sorts. This can lead to increased lift and early airflow separation. After flaring on a landing roll, the low wing enters ground effect before the high wing aircraft would and will therefore float in ground effect quite a bit longer. For most airports with sufficient runway lengths (read as >3000'), this 'floating' can be bled off before the end of the runway and a safe landing achieved.
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Baron Von Fritz wrote: Ah, finally, someone with knowledge in the department of aeronautics and physics! 😺...My older cousin pilots aircraft occasionally and he prefers the low wing. Myself, I prefer the same, but it seems that the high-wing aircraft have a greater sense of balance.
That is a very astute observation. Here is why that is indeed the case:
Low wing aircraft positions the pilot above the wing -
V <-- Pilot
-------------- <-- WingWhen a tipping force comes along (like a gust of wind), the pilot's position pivots in response to that upsetting force. The wing dihedral of a low wing is exaggerated (looking from the from of the plane, the wings are angled up to form a loose V shape), which auto corrects the minor tipping force and rights the pilot position in an oscillating pattern.
Sitting on top of the wing in a light aircraft can cause more turbulence to be felt, which is what you are describing.
(cont.)
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Sammy Guns🔫🌊🗻 wrote:
😄👆👆⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Lol"If I could be a bird, I'd be a Flying Purple People Eater, because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song."
— Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts -
A high wing design, by comparison, positions the pilot under the wing in a gondola of sorts:
__________
VThis weight uses the forces of gravity to right itself after a tipping force is applied, again, in a pendulum type motion, but to the pilot, used to the effects of gravity, the feeling is more natural.
It's the difference between putting the gondola below a hot air balloon or trying to position one at the very top. Gravity works with the pilot and payload below whereas other design characteristics need to be implemented to overcome this force of nature when above.
Translation: the high wing in turbulence will feel like you're in a swing whereas the low wing feels like you are in a high chair and your little brother is trying to topple you over 😳
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⌖🔥Groucho🔥⌖ wrote:
Lol, I miss Jack Handey 😿"If I could be a bird, I'd be a Flying Purple People Eater, because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song."
— Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
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