# Inverted gull wing

> Why did the Corsair have an inverted gull 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/inverted-gull-wing/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=inverted-gull-wing · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/inverted-gull-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

- An inverted gull wing dips down from the fuselage then rises outboard. On the F4U Corsair it gave ground clearance for a 13 ft propeller and reduced drag at the wing-fuselage joint (Smithsonian NASM).
- Wind-tunnel data favoured a wing meeting the fuselage at right angles; the bent wing let a low wing do that while allowing an even shorter landing gear than a low wing, avoiding a long, heavy gear (US Naval Institute).
- Used on: Vought F4U Corsair.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Corsair propeller diameter | 13 ft 1 in (NASM); 13 ft 3 in (USNI) | Smithsonian NASM; USNI |
| Engine | R-2800, 1,850 hp | Smithsonian NASM |
| Wing-fuselage junction | right angle for low interference drag | USNI |
| Reference build angles | illustrative (no published angle fetched) | illustrative |

## Where the files are

- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: [Vought F4U-1D Corsair](https://si.edu/object/nasm_A19610124000) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- US Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine: [Designing the Bent-Wing Bird (Feb 1995)](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/february/designing-bent-wing-bird) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

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

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

- inverted-gull-wing-wing: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/inverted-gull-wing/inverted-gull-wing-wing.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/inverted-gull-wing/inverted-gull-wing-wing.stl) — gull planform: span 1000, root 200, tip 120 mm, LE sweep 0°, dihedral -5°, NACA 2412

## Questions

**Why the bent wing on the Corsair?**

Prop clearance for a large propeller, shorter gear, and a low-drag right-angle wing root (NASM; USNI).

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