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Dihedral angle

How much dihedral should an RC plane have? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio

Also called: dihedral, wing dihedral, how much dihedral rc plane, dihedral angle trainer, dihedral aerobatic plane, dihedral calculator, dihedral roll stability, rudder only dihedral, effective dihedral, dihedral degrees

Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.

sizes
6 in table

Notes

  • Dihedral (tips higher than root) adds roll stability, and typically only a few degrees are needed on full-size aircraft (NASA Glenn; ERAU).
  • McCombs' RC guidance: rudder-only models want about 9 deg total effective dihedral (high wing 5-7 deg, mid 7-8, low 10-11), while aileron models want essentially 0 deg (mid wing) to 0-2 deg (high/low). Too much dihedral on aileron models cuts roll rate and complicates coordination (Model Aviation).
  • Too much dihedral also reduces effective lifting area by cos^2 of the angle (McCombs), and too little fin with small dihedral causes spiral instability (McCombs). Fighters and aerobatic aircraft aim for near-neutral (Kitplanes).
  • Used on: Boeing 737.
  • The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

Dihedral angle size chart

parametervalue or rangesource
RC rudder-only total effective dihedralabout 9 degMcCombs 1994
Rudder-only: high / mid / low wing5-7 / 7-8 / 10-11 degMcCombs 1994
Aileron RC: mid wing / high & low wing~0 deg / 0-2 degMcCombs 1994
Effective area penaltyS_eff = S cos^2(a)McCombs 1994
Recovery rate6 deg total recovers about half as fast as 12 degMcCombs 1992
Reference buildhigh-wing trainer, 6 degMcCombs

Where the files are

Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.

Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombsWing and Tail Dihedral for Models (Dec 1994)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombsVertical Tail Size for Models (Apr 1992)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
NASA Glenn Research CenterBeginner's Guide to Aeronautics: Wing GeometrywebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight VehiclesWing Shapes and NomenclaturewebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Kitplanes (B. Wainfan)Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts

Free files

★ Free files 1 parts. Xem Studio design: free to use, print and sell things from; not to be republished as files. Xem Studio Design License. index.json

dihedral-wingrectangular planform: span 1000, root 200, tip 200 mm, LE sweep 0°, dihedral 6°, NACA 2412STEP · STL
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Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=dihedral

Dihedral angle, isometric render of a generated part
Render of dihedral-wing from the free STEP; not to scale.

Fits with

Rectangular (constant-chord) wing, isometric render of a generated part
Rectangular (constant-chord) wing6 sizes★ 1 file
Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag), isometric render of a generated part
Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag)6 sizes★ 1 file
Elliptical wing, isometric render of a generated part
Elliptical wing5 sizes★ 1 file
Swept-back wing, isometric render of a generated part
Swept-back wing4 sizes★ 1 file
Forward-swept wing, isometric render of a generated part
Forward-swept wing4 sizes★ 1 file
Delta wing, isometric render of a generated part
Delta wing5 sizes★ 1 file

Questions

Trainer vs aerobatic dihedral?

Rudder-only trainers ~5-7 deg on a high wing; aileron aerobatic mid-wings ~0 deg (McCombs).