I mean, when the wings are folded vertically, they’re not going to provide any lift. Doesn’t increasing the dihedral decrease lift?
I am not saying this is the wrong section of the SDMB.
But, you may get a better response in this thread in a different section of the SDMB:
Yes, but lift is cheap. A small increase in angle of attack or velocity will compensate for any lift lost due to dihedral…
The designers problem was keeping that huge prop from hitting the ground.
That’s the point of it. Both wings are at less then full lift potential. If the aircraft rolls in one direction the wing goes level, its lift increases and the aircraft rights itself.
That’s the usual explanation for dihedral, but it doesn’t hold up. Lift is a vector, and the whole vector contributes to the torque on the plane, not just its vertical component. Rotating the plane shouldn’t change the net torque at all.
The extra lift from the lower wing is caused by a side slip rather than the bank angle itself.
To the OP, the wing on a Corsair is bent because they didn’t have room to fit long enough gear to give adequate prop clearance on the ground, nothing to do with aerodynamics.
Agreed, I was just thinking there might have been an aerodynamic downside to using that much dihedral.
Every aspect of airplane design is a compromise. You want a straight wing, you get longer, heavier gear.
Nowadays, ‘warbirds’ are General Aviation aircraft. Of course, that thread has strayed far away from General Aviation and into general aviation.
I think I recognize a few of those planes…
I’ve always thought the “powerplant group” doesn’t just look like, but actually IS a Gee Bee.
Agreed, that’s a Gee Bee.
One for Armament Group is the FW-190a mod for destroying bombers, with 2 mg’s in the cowl, 4-20 mm cannon in the wings, and 4 more 20 mm in underwing pods. An awful lot of gun for a small fighter.
The Aerodynamics Group ran over all other groups on the Douglas X-3. Maybe the F-104, too.
The Fuselage Group made the Super Guppy and Airbus Beluga.
Yes, the aircraft at takeoff speed is level of course, not sitting back on the tailwheel. So the aircraft in straight horizontal position needs good prop clearance, especially if operating off less than ideal runways.