Handling Changes with Dihedral Removal
 

Hey All,

Wife and I have a question for you.

We are building a Great Planes PT-40 kit together and were wondering other than losing some of the self correcting properties, is there a downside to removing the Dihedral in the wing?? I think there might actually be some benefits to removing it. Let us know your thoughts.

Oz

Reducing the dihedral will reduce the amount of roll the rudder produces, and make the ailerons more effective.
Chuck

Ozzy37, Depending on your flying level and your intentions with the PT-40 you might not want to remove all of the dihedral, just reduce the amount. I would leave about 3/4" to 1" at each wing tip, but that's just I would do.

Even with no dihedral there will always be some self righting tendency from a high wing configuration. Pendulum effect of all the weight hanging below the wing. We have removed the dihedral from more than a few trainers without any problems. If your going to do this I assume its for a little more performance. Then increase the area of the ailerons and elevator 50% and double the area of the rudder. People do not notice the changes at first glance but crisp stall turns, knife edges, clean snaps and spins sure get their attention.