High Wing vs Low Wing: Which is Better?

In this article we’re going to wade into one of the great aviation debates, high wing vs low wing.

Many things have no good answer, yet people debate them endlessly.

Some argue about their favorite sports teams, others about the best car manufacturer, and still others about things like the meaning of life. 

In aviation, our great debate is about where to put the wings of our airplanes. Should they be on the top, like a Cessna, or on the bottom, like a Piper? 

From a pilot’s perspective, airplanes are a little bit like bicycles. Once you learn how to ride one bike, you can quickly figure out how to ride any bike. Similarly, once you learn to fly an airplane, you can fly any of them. 

So, while low-wings and high-wings look radically different, a pilot sees more similarities and discounts the differences as minor.

High-Wing vs Low-Wing Planes, the Debate Continues

The most significant difference between the two is the visibility from the cockpit.

The wing position in a high wing limits visibility more than in a low wing. The pilot’s eyes are near the wing, which appears larger and blocks more of the sky.

The wing’s position above the plane also means the pilot cannot see above them, and when they bank into a turn, they cannot see in the direction they are turning. Pilots must compensate by lifting the wing (rolling in the opposite direction) before turning, an extra step vital for safety. 

The wings of a low wing also block visibility, but not nearly as much since they appear smaller from the pilot’s perspective. Furthermore, when the plane banks into a turn, the visibility is improved in the direction of the turn, allowing the pilot to clear for traffic during the turn. 

To demonstrate the dangers of these blind spots, here’s an accident scenario that has played out many times.

A high-wing airplane is holding short of a runway, waiting to take off. It’s sitting perpendicular to the runway, so its wing blocks the view of the left base and part of the final approach.

At the same time, a low-wing airplane is on that section of the final approach, and its wing and high deck angle block its view of the aircraft below. It’s possible that neither pilot sees the other until the planes have collided on the runway due to both aircraft’s blind spots. 

Pilots must understand the dangers of the blind spots presented by an aircraft’s design and compensate for them.

Outside of the visibility issue, aerodynamic and design differences can be debated but are more or less insignificant when flying.

Like riding a bike, flying is simply done — you don’t need to think of its intricacies while in the left seat. 

The FAA obviously agrees with the “more-similar-than-not” argument.

If you hold a pilot certificate with an airplane rating, no additional training is required to switch between low and high wings.

In other cases, such as when upgrading to multiengine, high-altitude, high-performance, complex, or tailwheel airplanes, you’d need to get at least an instructor sign-off — but not so with high vs. low-wing flying. 

Of course, getting a quick checkout from an instructor is always a good idea, as insurance companies and flight schools require you to do before flying any new model.

High-Wings — The Cessna Look is Still Groovy

The high wing’s biggest champion is the Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas.

The first plane took off in 1927, but it wasn’t until the late 1940s with the Models 120 and 140 that the company became a juggernaut in high-wing training aircraft.

The four-seat 170 was updated with tricycle landing gear and became the 172, which spawned the two-seat Cessna 150 / 152, and the high-performance 182.

Plenty of other high-wing Cessnas models are out there, but those three lines became some of the most produced airframes in history. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk, in particular, has been in production since 1956, and more than 44,000 have been made.

So, let the record show that high-wing aircraft can be commercially successful. If a company can still make money selling an airframe that has been virtually unchanged for more than 60 years, there’s probably very little wrong with it.  

Cessna doesn’t have a monopoly on high-wing designs, but they do make most of them.

Other companies that have made high-wings include Aeronca, Maule, Tecnam, Flight Design CT, Aircam, Kodiak, and CarbonCub (after the venerable Piper J-3 Cub).

While most larger transport planes have low wings, some jets and military aircraft have high wings, too.

These include military cargo planes like the C-5 Galaxy, the C-130 Hercules, and the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world’s largest airplane. Then there are airliners like the ATR-72 and BAE 146. 

Pros of High-Wing Airplanes

• Easy to get in and out of, no climbing onto the wing
• Simple gravity-fed fuel systems will run without a pump
• Excellent ground visibility for looking down and sightseeing
• Higher roll stability because the fuselage hangs under the wings like a pendulum
• Noticeable aerodynamic control buffetting during an approach to a stall provides amble warning
• Easier to visually inspect wings and landing gear during pre-flight — no crawling on the ground is necessary
• Wings are above debris kicked up while landing on unimproved strips/off-airport (good for bush planes, float planes, etc.)

Cons of High-Wing Airplanes

• More difficult to access and fill fuel tanks
• Higher drag due to wing struts (most models, but not all)
• Higher center of gravity makes them more affected by crosswinds during taxi, takeoff, and landing
• Terrible visibility in turns and above you — you can’t see where you’re going, which is dangerous
• Less cockpit visibility than low-wings — because your head and eyes are closer to the wing, the wing takes up more visual area than it does in a low-wing
• Requires special maneuvering to counter blind spots (i.e., lifting the wing prior to each turn, turning on the taxiway before taking a runway to clear the approach path)

Low-Wings — Making You Feel Like One of the Big Guys

Cessna dominates the world of small, general aviation high-wing airplanes. On the other hand, nearly every other successful airplane company has favored a low-wing design.

Piper, Diamond, Mooney, Beechcraft, Grumman American, Cirrus, and many more companies make (or have made) low-wing planes. 

When it comes to the number of aircraft and who has been around the longest, Cessna’s only big rival is Piper.

While Cessna found great success with their 172 Skyhawk, Piper had similar good luck with their low-wing PA-28 Cherokee.

Both planes changed over the years, but both are still produced today in one form or another (the PA-28 is now called the Piper Archer). And, as a result, the high-wing/low-wing debate can often be summarized as the Cessna/Piper debate. 

Many pilots prefer flying low-wings, but the precise reason is hard to pinpoint.

It often comes down purely to aesthetics — low wings look more like ‘real’ airplanes, whatever that means. Perhaps it means they’re more like the sleek airliners or military jet aircraft they dream of flying one day. 

Good looks aside, low-wing planes tend to have a different feel about them when sitting in the cockpit.

The visibility and perspective from sitting above the wing make it more evident that you’re operating a flying machine; in a high wing, you just sort of hang on below it. Whatever it is, it’s a feeling that a lot of pilots like.

Pros of Low-Wing Airplanes

• Easy to refuel, no ladder needed
• Lower center of gravity makes them more stable on the ground
• Often lower drag due to lack of wing struts, providing better cruise performance
• Landing gear can be fixed to major airframe components, like the wing spar, for more strength
• In the event of an off-airport or water landing, the wing structure protects the cabin occupants

Cons of Low-Wing Airplanes

• Blind spot right below you
• Many small low-wings only have one door
• Less-noticeable stall warning characteristics
• Ground effect is more pronounced since the wings are lower (could be a pro if you’re performing soft-field takeoffs)

Which One Is For You, Low Wing vs High Wing?

It’s easy to lose sight of one simple fact: high and low wings are both airplanes, and they are, therefore, extremely cool flying machines.

Both will teach you how to fly equally well. Flying both is a fun experience, so you can discover the differences for yourself and make up your own mind.