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Subject: Hi-Wing vs. Lo-Wing
Mechanic    8/17/2006 10:47:46 AM
Why most jet airliners use a low-wing configuration? It allows less clearance for under wing engines and requires longer and thus heavier landing gear to accomodate underwing engines. The two drawbacks of high-wing I can think of are 1) little bit more noise in cabin and 2) little lower cabin at wing joint. I would imagine that the minimal save from lighter landing gear would be more welcome to the operators than the drawbacks of the high-wing configuration. (Almost) all military transport aircraft use high-wing. That's propably mostly because the fuselage have to be low to allow loading/unloading without ground equipment. Also good engine clearance is neccesery for rough field operations. Why not more high wing (large) civilian airliners? Are the other high-wing jets than Avro RJ85/100?
 
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Yimmy    RE:Hi-Wing vs. Lo-Wing   8/17/2006 11:39:18 AM
Not answering, but adding to your question, why do some fighters have low wing, such as the A4 Skyhawk, and some high wing, such as the F7 Crusader - what are the advantages in this context?
 
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Mechanic    RE:Hi-Wing vs. Lo-Wing   8/18/2006 3:48:42 PM
And then there are those beauties like F4U and F-4 where one thing have lead to another and wings and stabs are twisted in a wierd way. Most modern fighters are high wing propably to allow more under wing weapon clearance. Low wing is more agile and thus usually seen in low powered (advanced) trainers. A-4 belongs to this category. When a fighter has under wing (or wing leading edge) air intakes high wing is better for high alpha. F-8 has the unique variable insidence wing, which might be easeier to incorporate in high wing. And the A-7 iherited its high wing from F-8, altough Corsair II didn't incorporate the variable isidence mechanism.
 
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Roman    RE:Hi-Wing vs. Lo-Wing   8/23/2006 11:55:16 AM
Andy has answered this question for me here: http://www.strategypage.com/messageboards/messages/28-75.asp In short: Apparently the low wing configuration is more fuel efficient.
 
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bugmaster       8/25/2006 3:11:39 AM
test
 
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