Do you wonder? Why aircraft wings are not placed the same, sometimes you’ve seen wings above the aircraft with some metal support below the aircraft, or some having it in the lower portion of the plane. You also noticed that airliners have their wings in the middle? But the question usually asked is are they the same? Does the placement of the wings affect the performance of the aircraft?
In this article we will discuss these things subjectively and rely based on facts.
How wing configuration and design affect the performance of the aircraft?
There are several factors that can come into considerations, and these are the following:
Dihedral
Stability can be determined by the relative locations of two components: the center of the lift and the center of the mass.
The center of mass in a high wing aircraft, such as the Cessna 172, is below the center of lift, allowing it more intrinsically stable than a low wing aircraft with the center of lift below the center of mass.
To increase the stability of low-wing aircraft such as the Piper Cherokee, designers angle the wingtips upward. This upward tilt is known as dihedral, and it is characteristic of low-wing aircraft. Designers may make a low-wing aircraft almost as stable as a high-wing aircraft by adding dihedral.
In a crosswind, the dihedral means you’ll need to employ more aileron than with a flatter wing like the 172.
Structural Wing Support
The fuselage of an aircraft hangs from the wing spar on a high wing, such as the Cessna 172. This weight, together with the weight of the engines and wing tank gasoline, necessitates the addition of a wing strut on each side to assist sustain the weight. The overhead spar will either be totally on top of the fuselage, creating drag, or it may come through the roof of the cabin, limiting already valuable head room and adding an unwanted impediment to hit your head on.
What is high wing aircraft?
A type of configuration in which the wings are mounted above the fuselage. It also tends to be relatively flat with little dihedral or anhedral.
To understand dihedral and anhedral, refer to the photo below:
Cessna 172 one of the known high wing aircraft. A general aviation aircraft that is commonly used as trainer plane here in Philippines.
Advantages of high wing aircraft
- Pilot view of the ground is clear and unobstructed.
- Ground clearance is higher for avoiding low obstacles.
- Can block some sunlight, so it is much cooler and more shade during hot weather.
- Shorter landing distance.
- Fuel flow from the tank to engine is much easier.
- Much more stable because the center of mass is situated below the center of lift.
- Much more usable work and storage under wings especially when stored in the hangar.
- Easier to get in/out.
- Placement and removing of chocks are much easier.
We will also talk about the disadvantage of high wing aircraft.
- When rough landing occurs, the impact to the fuselage will be much higher because there is no help in force absorption.
- Re-fueling will need ladder.
- Restricted view above you.
- Heavier weight due to separate landing gear and wing spars and struts.
- Quite more sensitive when it comes to crosswinds and turbulence.
- Longer and heavier landing gear.
After talking about high wing, let’s proceed and talk about low wing.
What is a low wing aircraft?
The wings on a low wing aircraft on the other hand are installed lower or below that halfway up of the fuselage. Dihedral is common with low wing aircraft to improve lateral stability.
Piper Cherokee is the common example of low wing aircraft
Advantages of low wing aircraft
- During rough and emergency landings, it is much safer because the wings will absorb some of the impact
- Can float for several more minutes during emergency water landing.
- Fuel tank is much easier to fill and reach from the ground.
- Shortened takeoff roll due to enhanced ground effect.
- Overhead view is enhanced.
- Clear view back to landing site for final turns.
- May be has a lighter weight because of the structures used in landing gear are the same.
- Can accommodate shorter and much wider main gears that can help stability while taxiing.
Disadvantages of low wing aircraft
- Pilots who fly this aircraft will need to take precaution when taxiing even in low obstacles.
- Wing are ground view is obstructed.
- Pre-flight walk-around is much time consuming because of the inspection below the wings.
- The sunlight from the wing can reflect to the cockpit, it can be hotter during sunny days.
- Fuel pump is required for the transportation of fuel.
- Reduced rudder and elevator effectiveness.
Key takeaways
Good pilots and engineers will tell you that between high wing and low wing, there is no superior between the two. But there are pilots who prefer to fly on high wing or on low wing.
Given the advantages and disadvantages of each arrangement, a moderate approach appears to make the most sense. Learn to fly both types of aircraft, understand their respective advantages and disadvantages, and then select your aircraft based on the sort of flying you want to undertake.
Source:PilotMall (21 April 2020) High Wing vs Low Wing: What’s the Difference Between Them?
https://www.pilotmall.com/blogs/news/high-wing-vs-low-wing-what-s-the-difference-between-them
