246 STATIC STABILITY

It is generally assumed that the stabilising effect produced by a wing having a dihedral of 1◦ and no
sweep back is equal to that of a wing having no dihedral but a sweep back from root to tip of 10◦ . If
the wing is straight, increasing the aspect ratio of the vertical stabiliser whilst maintaining the area as a
constant enhances the static lateral stability. A swept wing not only increases the lateral static stability
it also stabilises directional static stability and is least affected by turbulence. Lateral static stability also
increases with increased speed.

11.14 Wing/Fuselage Interference

11.14.1 Shielding Effect
In a sideslip the fuselage causes the trailing (upgoing) wing to be shielded from the airflow, con-
sequently the dynamic pressure over this part of the wing is less than over the rest of the wing. It
therefore produces less lift and will increase the ‘dihedral’ effect, which is quite considerable for some
aeroplane types.

11.14.2 Wing Location

The position of the wings relative to the CG and longitudinal axis determines the lateral static stability
of an aeroplane. Those aeroplanes with wings mounted above the CG and longitudinal axis have greater
lateral static stability than those having the wings mounted in mid or low relative positions. This is
because during a sideslip a the lower wing of high-mounted wings produces more lift than the upper
wing that consequently induces a flow circulation around the fuselage increasing the angle of attack of
the lower wing which generates a restoring force.
If the lateral static stability produced by a high-mounted wing is greater than that required then
the designer might resort to using anhedral in the wing design to reduce the lateral static stability to
counteract this undesirable feature. Aeroplane designers often use a high wing position in their design to
ensure adequate ground clearance by the engine pods or propeller blades. A high wing is the equivalent
of 1◦ to 3◦ of dihedral and a low wing is equivalent to 1◦ to 3◦ of anhedral.

11.15 Fuselage/Fin
11.15.1 Fin Size
Because the relative airflow during a sideslip produces a correcting moment it is advantageous for
aeroplane designers to use a large fin area with the centre of pressure as far above the CG as possible.
This engenders a large correcting rolling moment and it therefore creates a high degree of lateral static
stability. See Figure 11.10.

11.15.2 Ventral Fin

The rate of roll during a sideslip is increased by any moment caused by side surfaces mounted on the
fuselage below the CG. Thus, ventral fins increase the lateral static instability of an aeroplane. Aeroplanes
with a ‘T’ tailplane are particularly stable laterally because they necessarily have a tall fin to keep the
tailplane above the turbulent downwash of the wings. Such aircraft tend to be laterally very stable, so
much so that their roll response is poor and a ventral fin or keel surface is fitted quite deliberately to
improve roll response.