Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1712659
So here I am at Knock (Ireland West if you insist) about to board a Dash 8 with its high wing and I'm given to wondering why high wings are generally (perhaps always?) not swept back. Is there a good engineering reason?

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By Human Factor
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1712674
Quite a few examples in fact, C-5, C-17, C-141, An124, An225, A400M to name but a few.

High wings are generally applied to allow easy access to the fuselage (in built steps, cargo ramps, that kind of thing). The amount of sweepback (or not) is based upon the design cruise speed.
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By Josh
#1712694
Swept high wings aren’t generally chosen as they have a very powerful dihedral effect, leading to very poor roll rates. They tend to be chosen because another key design requirement drives the high wing - rough field, cargo, position of the engine exhaust and so on.

You will generally see large anhedral on aircraft with swept high wings to ensure acceptable roll control. Very obvious on the various Antonio types and the Harrier amongst others.
By Dominie
#1712695
plus7g wrote:
VRB_20kt wrote:Ah yes. The BAe146 has a high wing doesn't it.

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My point exactly

The leading edge of the 146's wing was swept based on the design cruise speed which as I recall was 0.72M at that time.
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1712874
Rob L wrote:That wasn't the question, as I see it Paul.


It was an inference from two stages down the line. It sort of went:

Q) Why are high wings straight?
A) (Given above) They're not, they're straight (on a turboprop) as it isn't fast enough to need it.
Q) (Not asked) So are all turboprops straight wing, high wing or low wing?
A) Mostly, but not always, some are designed for higher speeds, such as....

It was adding further information to the original question.
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