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High wing placement

Why are most RC trainers high-wing? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio

Also called: high wing, high wing aircraft, high wing vs low wing, high wing rc trainer, shoulder wing, high wing stability, high wing dihedral, pendulum effect high wing, cabin monoplane

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

sizes
5 in table

Notes

  • A high wing adds stable dihedral effect through wing-fuselage interference, so high-wing aircraft need less geometric dihedral than low-wing ones (Kitplanes, Wainfan; Wainfan rejects the pendulum explanation, while Leishman describes pendular stability with the c.g. below the lift).
  • McCombs recommends about 5-7 deg wing dihedral for rudder-only high-wing RC models and about 0-2 deg for high-wing aileron models (Model Aviation).
  • Extreme cases such as swept high wings may need anhedral (Kitplanes); the C-5 is a high-wing aircraft with anhedral (ERAU).
  • Used on: C-5 Galaxy.
  • 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.

High wing placement size chart

parametervalue or rangesource
RC rudder-only, high wing dihedralabout 5-7 degMcCombs 1994
RC with ailerons, high wingabout 0-2 degMcCombs 1994
FF scale, high wing EVD0-3 degMcCombs 1994
Outdoor FF scale high wingabout 1 degMcCombs 1992
Reference build1000 x 200 mm, 6 deg dihedralMcCombs

Where the files are

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

Kitplanes (B. Wainfan)Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
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
Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight VehiclesWing Shapes and NomenclaturewebPublisher'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

high-wing-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=high-wing

High wing placement, isometric render of a generated part
Render of high-wing-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

Is a high wing more stable?

Yes in roll, through wing-fuselage interference, so it needs less dihedral (Kitplanes).