# High wing placement

> Why are most RC trainers high-wing?

- Category: Aircraft design › Wing planforms
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/high-wing/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=high-wing · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/high-wing/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files Xem Studio Design License (free to use and sell from, not to redistribute as files: https://xemstudio.com/license/)
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

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

## 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.

## Sizes

| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| RC rudder-only, high wing dihedral | about 5-7 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| RC with ailerons, high wing | about 0-2 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| FF scale, high wing EVD | 0-3 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| Outdoor FF scale high wing | about 1 deg | McCombs 1992 |
| Reference build | 1000 x 200 mm, 6 deg dihedral | McCombs |

## Where the files are

- Kitplanes (B. Wainfan): [Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008)](https://www.kitplanes.com/wind-tunnel-135/) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs: [Wing and Tail Dihedral for Models (Dec 1994)](https://library.modelaviation.com/article/wing-and-tail-dihedral-models) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs: [Vertical Tail Size for Models (Apr 1992)](https://library.modelaviation.com/article/vertical-tail-size-models-1) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles: [Wing Shapes and Nomenclature](https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Free STEP/STL (1 parts, Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/high-wing/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/high-wing/LICENSE.md

- high-wing-wing: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/high-wing/high-wing-wing.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/high-wing/high-wing-wing.stl) — rectangular planform: span 1000, root 200, tip 200 mm, LE sweep 0°, dihedral 6°, NACA 2412

## Questions

**Is a high wing more stable?**

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

## Fits with

- [Rectangular (constant-chord) wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/rectangular-wing/)
- [Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/tapered-wing/)
- [Elliptical wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/elliptical-wing/)
- [Swept-back wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/swept-wing/)
- [Forward-swept wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/forward-swept-wing/)
- [Delta wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/delta-wing/)