paof

Hi. A few days ago my grandson asked me why the Q 500 are all high wing? I answered because they were more stable but the truth is that I did not know what the true answer is and I was filled with doubts so I decided to ask here what is the aerodynamic reason why more high wing is used
Let's see what the experts think
Thanks in advance and fly low, fast and cross to the left
Paof

c/f

My Feedback: (1)

Placebo???

GREG DOE

In a typical race a Quickie airplane will be on it's side a lot of the time. To be more clear the wing will be vertical a lot more then horizontal. After approximately 40 years of racing these airframes, most designers have concluded that the shoulder wing configuration stays in the vertical position better then the low wing configuration. If you were just going to sport fly with a Quickie 500, I don't think there would be any noticeable difference, unless you were big into knife edge flight!

paof

Greetings sir, I expected a more scientific answer since I like to know the truth and the reason for things and since it is never too late to learn something new, I decided to ask
thanks for your quick response.
Paof

paof

Mister Doe thanks for tour answer.
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rgburrill

In a turn the CG is outside of a shoulder wing which makes it more stable in a high G turn.

larry@coyotenet

My Feedback: (21)

I've been involved in pylon racing for 50 years off and on. Here is my answer- whatever the hot setup is will dominate the entry list until someone starts winning with the other setup and then it will seem to dominate the entry list. I've seen it happen in quarter midget, formula one, quickie 500 and the latest classes. It comes down to human nature. In the past the shoulder wing planes were considered more stable around the course and low wing planes would wrap the pylons better. In the absence of anyone being successful with the low wing most will continue flying them whether they are better or not. If shoulder wing planes were the way to go there wouldn't be so many low wing Q40's would there? Same reason v tail is so popular in the Q500 class.
Larry

paof

Thanks again for your answer
Paof

rgburrill

I saw a photo taken of the crash of a jet racer at Las Vegas the other day. Could help but notice the jets also have shoulder wings.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

To be honest, in the 1980’s I flew Q500 starting with low wings. I went to a shoulder wing in 1981 mainly due to easier and stronger landing gear mounting. Incidentally I tried a V tail the same year ( possibly one of the first ) unfortunately it didn’t work out due to the mechanical mixer not centering well. Fast forward to 2010-2017 I was racing a series of warbirds using my own version of a Macchi 202 which of course was a low wing. Myself I never noticed much flight difference between the two. In Q500 the advantage for me was a more solid landing gear.

paof

Gentlemen, thank you very much for your answers. Good weekend, good flights and always excellent landings.Paof

GREG DOE

Rgburrill, An internet search for the L-29 Albatross, the airplane that crashed this year at Reno, will show it to be a low wing configuration. For those who have not followed the speculation as to the cause of the accident, the best guess is G-LOC, which refers to G (high gravity load) loss of consciousness. Some photos from the video appear to show the right aileron separating from the wing before the crash. There are no perfect designs. All aircraft, full scale or models, incorporate compromises.