On Jun 4, 4:49 am, HARRY POTTER wrote:
Tina wrote:
I understand how positive dihedral helps dynamic stability in
airplanes, but some big ones, like the Russian An 124 Condor, has a
pronounced negative dihedral -- the wings have a noticeable downward
slope.

Q1: Do those airplanes need active fly by wire controls to maintain
stability, or is something else at play that keeps them right side up?

Q2: Does anyone have a design rationalization for such a
configuration, as opposed to just zero dihedral? I can appreciate why
fighters have it -- they exploit lack of aerodynamic stability for
rapid maneuvers -- but transports that spend their whole life being
straight and level are another issue.

Note: I have not morphed into an Mx clone!

The AN124 does not have negative dihedral. It just looks that way when it's
on the ground because the weight of the engines bends the wings so they
look drooped down. Once it's in the air, the fuselage bends the wings the
other way, so it actually does have dihedral.

--http://onlinelogbook.net

Thanks -- didn't realize it was simply wing droop when they are not
developing lift. That's what happens when you fly in stiff winged
little airplanes, you start overlooking something as obvious as that.