I’m Going to Do It: HW vs LW

Do wings go on the top or on the bottom?

  • Total voters
    60
HW gives you the gravity advantage! Switch tanks? Tank timers? Fuel pump? Ha

Also an early post claimed needing a ladder to check wing surfaces, gas levels, and secure gas caps…not true for me

I also have a rear window which is quite useful

Two doors was mentioned in terms of comfort but it’s also a great safety feature after an unscheduled landing
 
Jim_R said:
Low wing pros:
* Wings are in the correct location
* Easy to fuel
* Easy to check during preflight
* Unobstructed upward view
Click to expand...
*More pronounced ground effect
Jim_R said:
Low wing cons:
* Not as easy to ingress/egress
* Usually only have one door on passenger side
* Obstructs downward visibility
Click to expand...
*Easier to gash your head on a sharp projection like a stall warning tab while tying down to the point where you need stitches
 
Racerx said:
Need I say more?

View attachment 146231


I probably should... Someone modded up an Aerostar with a single turbo prop and called it the Speedstar.
Click to expand...

It had I believe a RR500 turboprop engine. Which when installed, it was not derated enough. The result, was that it was faster down low, but quickly lost out to the twin piston engines at higher altitudes.
I really miss the Aerostar I had, it was so fun to fly. On the other, I do NOT miss the fuel bills!

Tim
 
tspear said:
It had I believe a RR500 turboprop engine. Which when installed, it was not derated enough. The result, was that it was faster down low, but quickly lost out to the twin piston engines at higher altitudes.
I really miss the Aerostar I had, it was so fun to fly. On the other, I do NOT miss the fuel bills!

Tim
Click to expand...
I just love the looks of the Aerostar and appreciate all the engineering that had be done for that specific conversion.
 
I picked low wing because that's what I own. Both have advantages and drawbacks but I do admit that the shade from a high wing, shelter from rain, easy of access for passenger, and the ability to have more stuff in the hangar are all things I wish I had... but not enough to get rid of my airplane.
 
You got me looking in my logbook to see what I have flown the most.

Guess I had to vote mid wing since that is what own (Sailplane), with the exception of the 5% ownership in the Bellanca Scout.

But by flight time High Wing wins hands down...

1438.6 Low Wing
1657.0 Mid Wing
5677.0 High Wing
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
<SNIP>

Irrational things that would make me pick a high wing is that the landing gear is attached to the body instead of the wings I feel like a bunch of hard landings with the landing gear attached to the wings means one day the wingspar is going to give out. But I'm not aware of it happening. I'm also not aware of a gremlin actually ending up out on the edge of a wing and taking a plane down but that's a fear too.
Click to expand...
Didn't your Grumman have its landing gear attached to the fuselage?
 
Low wing for fueling, taxiing, scanning for traffic, crosswind landings, gear retraction, seeing traffic in the pattern, and seeing the runway on base.

High wing for two doors, hangar space, loading baggage, "both" fuel selector, fuel sampling, shade on the ground and in the air, and ground clearance for everything from taxiway lights to snow piles to shrubs.

Like everything else, the answer to the question is "what's your mission?"
 
Zeldman said:
So, I understand there are folks here that think low wing is better.

Seen any low wing helicopters flying over lately.??
Click to expand...
Sort of... But not really. Still looks like funIMG_2330.webp
 
frfly172 said:
High,low doesn’t matter if it’s available I’m flying it.
Click to expand...
Never really been that picky either---depends on the deal available at the time. I will say that a Piper Warrior is a very easy plane to fly and it was our first low wing, having previously flown primarily Cessnas.
 
Does it have one or more wings? Great, I'll fly it. I don't care in the least where the wings are, provided they're securely attached to the airplane!

In my logbook, I've got 22 low wing types, 12 high wing types, a mid and a both. Where the wing was, was never a concern. Lemme fly it!

Jim_R said:
High wing pros:
* Easy ingress/egress--especially important for mobility-impaired (think about older folks)
Click to expand...
Except for the oodles of low-wing cabin class planes with a nice airstair door, or the 36 Bonanza, 58 Baron, PA32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga, PA34 Seneca which all have nice big back doors that aren't over the wing, etc...

Jim_R said:
* Usually have doors on both sides
Click to expand...
And then there's the DA40 which not only has ingress/egress to the front seats on both sides but also the rear seat on one side.

Jim_R said:
* Unobstructed view of the ground
Click to expand...
Except for wing struts, and of course ignoring the low wings where the wing is mostly or all behind you (Canard types, TBM, DA40, Malibu, etc)

Jim_R said:
* Nice to be able to sit or sleep under wings
Click to expand...
...which you can still do on bigger low wings. Super King Air for example...

Jim_R said:
High wing cons:
* Gotta climb up to fuel
Click to expand...
Same with bigger low wings... And really small high wings can avoid it if you're tall enough.

Jim_R said:
* Gotta climb up to inspect upper wing surface during preflight
Click to expand...
Same

Jim_R said:
* Obstructs upward visibility
Click to expand...
Unless the wing is mostly behind you... Though this seems much more rare in the high-wing world.

There's exceptions to every single thing that gets listed about high vs low wing, so I prefer to judge each airplane individually against the mission. There's great high wings and terrible high wings, great low wings and terrible low wings. And of course there's the "other" category with midwings, canards, biplanes, etc...

Jim K said:
Piper offered a Cherokee 6 seaplane. They only built two or three, and I don't think there was ever one actually on floats beyond the prototype. PA-32S-300. Only differences were float mounting points, stainless control cables, and a door that hinged 180 degrees so you could climb off the front of the wing to dock it. When I was plane shopping there was one for sale and I wanted it so bad, but it sold before I could move on it.

Was that the only ever low-wing light GA floatplane? The only other low wing on floats I've seen is the DC-3.
Click to expand...
Nope. There were four-seat Cherokee seaplanes from Piper as well. The TCDS for the PA28 lists a PA28S-160 and a PA28S-180. Saw one for sale not too long ago, but they're pretty rare as well.

Racerx said:
Need I say more?

View attachment 146231


I probably should... Someone modded up an Aerostar with a single turbo prop and called it the Speedstar.
Click to expand...
Sacrilege! And/or a crime against nature or something.
 
My (current) answer...
In 1966 I soloed in a Cherokee 140 - the Ercoupe has the predecessor of that "Hershy Bar" wing design.

Ercoupe at SBY small.jpg
Photographed at Salisbury, MD (SBY).
 
flyingcheesehead said:
In my logbook, I've got 22 low wing types, 12 high wing types, a mid and a both. Where the wing was, was never a concern. Lemme fly it!
Click to expand...
BTW, I was surprised at how many high wing types were there. You know, all high wings are Cessnas right? :rofl:

But those 12 high wings were 5 flavors of Cessna (172 & 182 fixed and retract and Skywagon), 4 flavors of Cub (3 Piper/1 CubCrafters), 2 flavors of Citabria, and a Husky.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Nope. There were four-seat Cherokee seaplanes from Piper as well. The TCDS for the PA28 lists a PA28S-160 and a PA28S-180. Saw one for sale not too long ago, but they're pretty rare as well.
Click to expand...
Saw a pa32s for sale sans floats a few years ago.
IMG_2523.jpeg
 
No vote. I only care about performance per dollar and my comfort and safety.
 
You know there's a lot to be said for those high wings. They usually do better at off-pavement operations, they've got that better visibility of the ground below, they've got that shade and shelter while you're doing your pre-flight and loading. If they ever start making one for men I'm certainly willing to give it a try- it is 2025 after all.
 
FWIW: What some don't realize is that working on low wings can increase the labor costs simply due to accessibility issues vs a high wing. Also heard some mechanics would charge a premium as well for low wings. Me, I just told low-wingers I was too busy unless it was a friend or old customer.
 
Half Fast said:
I explained my reasons for preferring low wings a while back, so, being lazy, I'll just quote my earlier answer.
Click to expand...
"I want a clear and unobstructed view of the sky, especially a view of anyone who might be on final."
Click to expand...

Counterpoint: when turning base to final, I want an unobstructed view of anyone who might be on straight in final.
 
All dogs are good dogs.
All airplanes are cool.

I fly a high wing, but am leaning towards a mid wing (Extra) for my next ride. Might consider a biplane (Pitts) if I run across the right one.

One obscure advantage of low/mid wings not mentioned. They are better for formation flight.
 
AvNavCom said:
You've got to wait for the annual to get that final 'F'.
Click to expand...
How true...I just was in conversation with a friend about a local shops piracy. I call them the 'Home of the 183hr annual'. When I asked for a detailed breakdown of the labor, the owner responded a few days later that the 3 and the 8 were accidentally transposed. I just paid up the invoice at 138hrs, which was probably at least 40hrs overbilled, and took my lick and my lesson. Yes, the annual can be the third 'F', especially on a seaplane.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Somewhat unrelated question …can you fly a Pitts as a Sport Pilot? If so, could you fly it under the original SP rules?
Click to expand...

I have no special knowledge in the area, but I think the answers are yes and no.

Pitts stall speed varies from 57 to 64 mph based on variant, with the flat wing S1C being the slowest and the S1S being the fastest. 57mph converts to 49.5 kts, above the old SP limit of 49 and below the MOSAIC limit of 59.
 
cowman said:
You know there's a lot to be said for those high wings... they've got that shade and shelter while you're doing your pre-flight and loading.
Click to expand...
I usually look for one to park next to on the transient row.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top