Originally Posted by paulatgis
im gona to scratch build from 3 views. i have a mid wing plan, but for simplicicty want to make it a low wing. my concerns are dihedral on the wing. it seems I can make the wing flat to avoid warping or deviations, but then would consider cutting the wing at midway if dihedral is required.
i prefer mainly to minimize stall characteristics. the wing is 60 inches, semitrical and has a 12 in constant chord with naca 0018. first i build the wing then the fuse.
Zero dihedral "looks" funny so you need some just for the looks factor. It will appear to droop if completely flat.
Most planes benefit from dihedral as well. On a fun scratch built you dont' need much just try an inch or so in each tip for a 60" wing maybe a touch more.
However dihedral has NOTHING to do with stall characteristics. That is more governed by several factors:
- Airfoil (as you point out)
- LE shape (blunt/sharp - makes a difference)
- Weight of the model and wing loading
- Thickness of the airfoil
Mike