Gull wing
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- For the type of automobile door, see gull-wing door.
The gull wing is an aircraft configuration that consists of a prominent bend in the wing somewhere along its span. Its name is derived from the seabirds whom they resemble. It has been incorporated in aircraft for many differing reasons.
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[edit] Sailplanes
The gull wing was first seen on sailplanes when the Weltensegler flew in 1921. Its wings were externally braced and featured swept-back wingtips. After the aircraft broke up, killing its pilot, the design feature more or less stayed out of popular use. The gull wing made a resurgence in 1930 with Alexander Lippisch's record-breaking Fafnir. Lippisch used the configuration for its increased wingtip clearance and the ill-founded belief it improved stability in turns. The true success of the Fafnir's gull wing laid primarily in its aesthetic value; the gull wing would be a staple of high-performance sailplanes until the 1950s.
Notable gull wing sailplanes:
- DFS Habicht
- DFS Reiher
- Schempp-Hirth Minimoa
- DFS Kranich
- Rhoensperper
- Lippisch Fafnir
- Weltensegler
[edit] Seaplanes
The gull wing design found its way into seaplanes by the late 1930s. As engine power increased, so did the need for large propellers to soak up the excess energy. The gull wing allowed designers to keep adequate propeller tip clearance over the water by placing the engines in the highest point of the wing. One of the first widespread seaplanes to utilize the configuration was the Dornier Do 26, a high-speed airliner and reconnaissance platform. The configuration was also used on the US Navy's PBM Mariner and P5M Marlin maritime patrol aircraft. The emergence of long range, land-based jets in the 1950s and the subsequent demise of the seaplane prevented widespread use of the gull wing.
Notable gull wing seaplanes
- Dornier Do 26
- Martin PBM Mariner
- Martin P5M Marlin
[edit] Landplanes
The gull wing design found its way into landplanes around the same time and for the same reason as seaplanes. More powerful engines generally require larger propellers, but clearance between the propeller tip and ground must be maintained. Long landing gear legs are heavy, bulky, and weaker than their shorter counterparts. The Vought F4U Corsair, designed from the onset as a carrier-based fighter, not only sported the largest propeller of any U.S. fighter, but was also expected to face rough landings aboard a pitching carrier deck. The inverted gull wing allowed the landing gear to be short, tough, and to retract straight back, improving internal wing space. The gull wing was also used to improve visibility, such as in the Westland Lysander and PZL P.11.
Notable gull wing landplanes
- Vought F4U Corsair
- Junkers Ju-87 Stuka
- Westland Lysander
- North American B-25 Mitchell
- PZL P.11
- Polikarpov I-153
