Newsgroups: rec.aviation.student

In rec.aviation.student, yiannis@ccad.uiowa.edu (Yiannis Papelis) writes:

> High wings
>     Better view of underneath land, great for sight seeing

Certainly true, but depending on the low wing you're talking about
ground visibility will actually range from very poor to quite good.

>     No ground effect on landing -> easier landing

OK, no (well, less) ground effect, but landing characteristics are
determined by so much more than this one factor that I think this is a
gross oversimplification.  My time is all Cessna and Piper, but by all
accounts, one of the easiest landing planes around is the Bonanza and
its derivatives.

>     Wing obscures runway during the base-to-final, makes me uncomfortable
>     Checking tanks is harder due to their location

To this list I'd add generally simpler, more fool proof fuel systems (gravity
dontcha know).

>Low wing:
>    Good view of runway during pattern work
>    Easy access to tanks, but hard access to drains

Most (but not all) are actually pretty easy.  On my Arrow, its no worse
than bending over a bit.  No crawling around under the wing is required.
I'd contend it's much less of a hassle than having to climb things to
fuel.

>    Ground effect on landing -> more challenging

See above.  Not really that much of a factor.  Some low wings tend to be
a bit sensitive to airspeed, others not.

>    There is something about walking on the wing -:)

???

To this list I'd add generally more docile ground handling under high
wind conditions.  In my plane, a crosswind landing is pretty much over
when I've taxied off the runway.  In most high wings, a crosswind
landing is over when the plane is *securely* tied down :-)

>There is also the issue of the clearence of the wing from the
>ground during landings with stiff crosswinds where slipping is used.

We had this discussion a while back, but to reiterate something I said
before this particular worry is mostly in your mind for most low wing
aircraft.  In a PA28 airframe with all of its wing dihedral, if you're
slipping enough to scrape a wingtip, you've got more xwind component
than either you or your rudder could possibly handle!

>   Another thing I have noticed (that is not necessarily related to
>   high/low wing, maybe its a cessna/piper characteristic) is that
>   cessnas seem to have a distinctive rotation stage, 
>   while pipers jump off the runway once the nose comes off.  

PA28's can be flown smoothly off the runway, it just takes a bit more
practice and a bit more attention to proper elevator trim for the
plane's loading than the smaller Cessna's.  Most folks who transition to
PA28's from Cessnas do have a tendency to over-rotate and yank the plane
off till they get the hang of it.  Hey, despite claims that it's
impossible I can even fly my T-tailed Arrow off the runway smoothly.  

But it did take some practice.  :-)

Hopefully the original poster will get the idea that low wings and high
wings each have their advantages and disadvantages.  It really boils
down to a matter of personal preference.  Anyone who tries to tell you
that one is "better" than the other should be cheerfully ignored.

Scott Turner  scott@hpisla.LVLD.HP.COM
HP VXI Systems Division
Turbo Arrow N2134N  "Baby"