Jadedmonkeys From United States of America, joined May 2004, 67 posts, RR: 3 Posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 2303 times:
Does anyone know why practically all the airliner AC manufacturers build their aircrafts with a low wing configuration and why big military ACs like the C-130 or the C-5 galaxy is built with the high wing config. That and why russian built like Antonovs are high wings as well. Does it have better lift or maneuverability?
Tasha From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 2296 times:
High wing aircraft (C-5, C-130), have advantages in off loading cargo. You simply drop the ramp in the back and out it comes. You can have the ramp much lower to the ground because you don't have a clearance problem with the engines.
Jadedmonkeys From United States of America, joined May 2004, 67 posts, RR: 3 Reply 2, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 2290 times:
Sean-SAN- From United States of America, joined Aug 2002, 752 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 2214 times:
Military airplanes also fly from unimproved or poor runways, so the high wing comes in handy to avoid ingesting foreign objects and debris.
DfwRevolution From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 2200 times:
From what I understand, is that high wings generate lift more efficently but a low-wing allows for stable and comfortable cruise at high speeds. Obviously a military cargo plane needs field performance than it does crew comfort. For airliners, there is more deman for comfortable, turbulent-free cruise at Mach .85 across the Pacific. Also, some RJs like the Arvo's feature a high wing as do Cessna's.
Jadedmonkeys From United States of America, joined May 2004, 67 posts, RR: 3 Reply 6, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2165 times:
hey sean-SAN, Im from SD too, I go to SDFTI based at KMYF. Do you know a Jason Andrews in Pinnacle? He used to be my flight instructor until he moved to pinnacle in Carlsbad.
SonOfACaptain From United States of America, joined May 2004, 1747 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2148 times:
I was also told that high-wing aircraft offers more cargo capacity that low-wing planes bacause you don't have the wing going through the plane.
TransPac From United States of America, joined Jun 2004, 108 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2142 times:
another reason i've heard of is that high wings are more prone to stress cracking around the wingbox. they are ideal for military due to the cargo loading reasons stated above but couldnt handle the cycles necessary for civil transport duties. apparently lockheed came across this fact when they were looking into making an airliner based on the C5. anyway, i'm no expert but thats what i've read.
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 9, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 2107 times:
I was also told that high-wing aircraft offers more cargo capacity that low-wing planes bacause you don't have the wing going through the plane.
Yes and no. High-winged planes still have the wing going through the plane, just not at floor level. So it's a problem for people bumping their heads
Low wings give:
- Easier engine maintenance.
- No wing/fuse box in the main cabin.
- Easier fueling (assuming fuel orifices in the wings)
- Generally shorter gear.
High wings give:
- Less risk of FOD.
- More space to hang stuff (bombs, drop tanks, engines, etc) under the wing.
- Trickier landing gear design. Either in the fuse with narrow track, or in the engines with long legs.
- Fuse closer to the ground given engine clearance. Thus easier for cargo.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
EI A330-200 From Sweden, joined Apr 2001, 409 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 2061 times:
Starlion,
While I generally agree with what you said, I have to disagree about low wing aircraft having shorter gears. Take a look through the database, and you'll see that most all of the high wing aircraft have their gears simply fold down from the belly. Not much longer than enough for the gear to clear the underbelly.
QantasA332 From Australia, joined Dec 2003, 1500 posts, RR: 35 Reply 11, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2046 times:
For the aerodynamical aspects of high versus low wings, look for some tech/ops thread having to do with dihedral or wing sweep or something like that from among my past posts, once the search function is working again. I'm currently on holiday so I don't have time to weed through my posts to find it, but rather than repeating it all again here (which again, I don't have time for anyway!) take a look for that...
Kalakaua From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1516 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 2015 times:
High and dihedral wings are much more stable, considering the cargo which it has to carry.
Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion.
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 13, posted (8 years 10 months 4 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 1915 times:
EI A330-200, I see your point, but you will also find pax high-winged craft with rather long gear (Dash-8, F50). Also, the fairing to encase the gear in the lower fuse tends to add quite a bit of drag.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
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