High wing to low wing converts...or, visa versa?

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Paul Missman wrote:
I did my training in high wings, and then purchased a low wing after
training.

Though I could go back to a high wing if I had to, I wouldn't want to.

My reasons are as follows:


You don't have to get a ladder to put gas in the tank.

You don't loose sight of the airport during turns in the pattern.

Much less susceptable to crosswind effects. It is much harder for the
crosswind to get under the wing, and flip it over, with the wing nearer
to the ground. I need much less crosswind correction in the low wing
than in the high wing aircraft I trained in. (This will, however, vary
with the exact aircraft under comparison.)

How so? The amount of crosswind correction needed depends only the the
cross wind component and the groundspeed of the airplane, not where the
wing is located.


Matt

That's why I said that it will vary with the aircraft under comparison. My
low wing has a fairly small crosswind area and excellent visibility. There
are low wings that have poor forward visibility also, but I think that, in
the trainer class, many of the low wings have better forward visibility than
many of the high wings.

I'm going to do a little speculation on why I think low wings, in general,
seem to handle better in crosswind situations. In a high wing plane, the
crosswind component passes under the wing, unimpeded, and on top, what dams
up against the airframe pushes down on the top of the wing. In a high wing,
the crosswind component passes, unimpeded, over the wing, while, under the
wing, it dams up against the airframe, increasing lift. This is probably
made worse in gusty conditions, and mitigated in steady state conditions.
If I have to land in gusty, crosswind conditions, I'll take a something like
a Cherokee over something like a 172 any day of the week.

What I've said is based on my experience. Your experience may be different,
and will certainly vary with the exact aircraft you are comparing.

In the end, some folks will buy a Corvette, and some will buy a Porsche.
For certain, they will handle differently. In both cases, the drivers will
learn how each handles, and learn to push the strengths, while compensating
for the weaknesses.

Paul