On Monday, February 5, 2001 7:59:03 AM UTC+11, Dick Ripper wrote:
I'm researching a personal project and have run across the following
statement which I don't understand and wonder if someone could explain it to
me:
"Most people don't know how to rig a biplane (I don't)
and this one is rigged a bit differently than most.
He designed the thing so that in LEVEL flight, you'd
be flying on the top wing ONLY, so as to give a
heavier wing loading".
I understand "heavier wing loading" but am at a loss on how the plane flies
only on one or the top wing due to rigging. I assume "rigging" is the
tension/compression loading of the flying wires and struts??

Thanks , Dick
It is fairly common for the built in angle of incidence of the top wings to exceed the bottom by half a degree or so to soften the stall. Rigging of the wings with struts and/or wires sets the dihedral (usually more on the bottom wings than the top) and, to a small degree, washout if specified. With the top wing commonly forward of the bottom wing, it is important that the top wing stalls before the bottom ensuring the aircraft pitches nose down. I am at the rigging stage of a biplane project at the moment so have done some homework on the subject, but I am certainly no expert on the subject! Cheers, Jeff Mackereth