Xem Studiomeasured geometryLibrary › Aircraft design › Wing planforms ·
Low wing placement
Why do low-wing aircraft need more dihedral? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
Also called: low wing, low wing aircraft, low wing rc plane, low wing vs high wing, low wing dihedral, low wing sport plane, low wing aerobatic, low wing stability, low wing monoplane
Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.
- sizes
- 5 in table
Notes
- A low wing produces an unstable dihedral effect from wing-fuselage interference, so it needs more geometric dihedral than a high wing for the same roll stability (Kitplanes, Wainfan).
- McCombs gives about 10-11 deg wing dihedral for rudder-only low-wing RC models, about 0-2 deg for aileron models, and 3-8 deg EVD for low-wing free-flight scale (Model Aviation). Low wings need less fin than high wings (McCombs 1992).
- Fighters and aerobatic aircraft aim for near-neutral lateral stability for quick roll response (Kitplanes).
- 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.
Low wing placement size chart
| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| RC rudder-only, low wing dihedral | about 10-11 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| RC with ailerons, low wing | about 0-2 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| FF scale, low wing EVD | 3-8 deg | McCombs 1994 |
| Outdoor FF scale low wing | about 5 deg | McCombs 1992 |
| Reference build | 1000 x 200 mm, 2 deg dihedral (aileron model) | McCombs |
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) | web | Publisher's page; dimensions are facts |
| Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs | Wing and Tail Dihedral for Models (Dec 1994) | web | Publisher's page; dimensions are facts |
| Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs | Vertical Tail Size for Models (Apr 1992) | web | Publisher'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
| low-wing-wing | rectangular planform: span 1000, root 200, tip 200 mm, LE sweep 0°, dihedral 2°, NACA 2412 | STEP · STL |
https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=low-wing
Fits with
Questions
How much dihedral on a low-wing aileron RC plane?
About 0-2 deg (McCombs).