Designed with dihedral.

[zero]

Anyone know why A10 is designed with wing dihedral?

 

A bit annoying with roll effect when kicking some rudder (yaw).

 

Great sim!!!

:pilotfly:

[genbrien]

Anyone know why A10 is designed with wing dihedral?

 

A bit annoying with roll effect when kicking some rudder (yaw).

 

Great sim!!!

:pilotfly:

better stability for gun runs?:music_whistling:

[EtherealN]

Zero, the roll effect isn't just about the dihedral, it's about lift.

 

L = Cl * A * .5 * r * V^2

That's the lift equation, and as you can see the term for velocity (V) is squared. An aircraft configuration like the A-10's has a combination of straight wings and rediculous rudder authority. This causes the outer wing to speed up when you "kick some rudder", while the inner wing slows down, causing the outer wing to have a higher V, which greatly affects the outcome of the lift equation, and the aircraft begins to roll. You counter this through coordinating your "kick" with some aileron input.

 

Aircraft configurations like the A-10 are a bit like helicopters in that it is very important to coordinate your maneuvers. They're not like an airliner where you often work only with ailerons and elevator while at cruise.

 

But yes, I would say the dihedral helps give stability, and the straight wing configuration grants improved low-speed performance.

 

(Notation for the lift equation, if you want it:

L = Lift

Cl = Coefficient of Lift for the airfoil

A = Airfoil Area

.5 = Constant

r = Air pressure

V = velocity (true))

Edited November 27, 2010 by EtherealN