# Parasol wing

> What is a parasol 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/parasol-wing/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=parasol-wing · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/parasol-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 parasol wing sits above the fuselage on struts or a pylon. NASM contrasts the Catalina's parasol wing, which needed external bracing, with the Mariner's gull wing that did not (Smithsonian NASM).
- Like a high wing it adds stable dihedral effect, so it needs little geometric dihedral (Kitplanes, Wainfan, on high wings).
- On flying boats the raised wing keeps engines and props above spray (NASM, PBM entry).
- Used on: Consolidated PBY Catalina.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bracing | parasol wing needed external bracing (Catalina) | Smithsonian NASM |
| RC with ailerons, high/parasol | about 0-2 deg dihedral | McCombs 1994 (high wing) |
| Reference build | 1000 x 200 mm, 2 deg | McCombs |

## Where the files are

- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: [Martin PBM-5A Mariner](https://si.edu/object/martin-pbm-5a-mariner:nasm_A19730270000) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- 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

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

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

- parasol-wing-wing: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/parasol-wing/parasol-wing-wing.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/parasol-wing/parasol-wing-wing.stl) — rectangular planform: span 1000, root 200, tip 200 mm, LE sweep 0°, dihedral 2°, NACA 2412

## Questions

**Is a parasol wing stable?**

It behaves like a high wing, adding stable dihedral effect (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/)