Page 87 - Understanding Flight

CH03_Anderson 7/25/01 8:56 AM Page 74

74 CHAPTER THREE

Fig. 3.15. The F-104 with anhedral (negative dihedral). (Photo courtesy of
NASA.)

Those who fly low-wing airplanes insist that the clear view of the sky
outweighs the lack of visibility downward because of the wing. The
high-wing pilots argue that the view of the ground is more important
than the view of the sky. Those who fly in hot, sunny regions also
appreciate the high wing for shading the cabin.
Besides a slight increase in stability, a high-wing aircraft offers the
ability to locate the fuselage close to the ground. Military transports use
this configuration so that equipment can be easily loaded and off-loaded.
A good example is the C-130 Hercules shown in Figure 3.16. High wings
also offer more room for high-lift devices. For example, wing flaps can
extend farther down without a concern for ground interference.
A WWII DC-3 lost a wing from a
Another advantage is that wing struts can be used under the
bomb while on the ground. The
wing where they will not interfere with lift.
only available replacement was a
A disadvantage of high wings is that the landing gear must
DC-2 wing, which was 5 feet
be placed in the fuselage. This usually adds bulging pods to
shorter and designed for a much
accommodate the gear. Another disadvantage is that the low
smaller load. The wing was
fuselage leaves little tail clearance. In order for the airplane to
attached and the airplane,
be able to rotate at takeoff the fuselage must have upsweep, as
dubbed the DC-2.5, flew to
shown in the picture. This sacrifices valuable cargo space.
safety.
Low-wing airplanes make landing gear placement much
simpler. However, for multiengine airplanes with engines hung
on the wings, the landing gear must be long enough to prevent ground
interference. Low-wing airplanes also have structural benefits, since the