On a canard, the wing will generally be larger than necessary, since it never stalls (the foreplanes/canard will normally stall first and the overall design will usually be such to ensure this canard-first stall). The larger than necessary main wing incurs a wetted area drag penalty. This doesn't have to be a major penalty, with careful optimization of the wing for when the airplane is at its design point- i.e. cruise or whatever design point the designer has in mind.

There is the advantage of all lifting surfaces contributing positive lift and none of them negative lift, as is the typical case for the horizontal stab on a conventional airplane. The big drag advantage here is that the main wing has to create less positive lift, since it doesn't have to make up for any negative lift from the other surface, and thus the main wing also creates much less induced drag. Here's the funny counterpoint to this apparent advantage, and BT'ers who are well versed in the aerodynamic details of the Bonanza will already know this: the horizontal stab on a conventional airplane doesn't have to create negative lift! It is possible to have a conventional airplane (wings in front, horizontal stab aft) with a horizontal stab that creates positive lift and that airplane can still have natural positive stability.

So that's the standard textbook thinking on canards vs conventional airplanes, the explanation behind it, but also some additional considerations.

It depends... it always depends...




And this isn't even touching the discussion of where to put the propeller.

Am going to start calling Horse Hockey on folks a little more severely. This post above is just complete rubbish. The 18K ceiling has to do with Class A airspace certification which is much more expensive. Period.

Here is the proof.
The Unmanned version flown by Israelis has a service ceiling of 30K with the same engines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_DA42

Anyone that wants further information here is a link to the Diamond forum where several folks talk about this very issue.

https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/v ... php?t=4742

Am going to start calling Horse Hockey on folks a little more severely. This post above is just complete rubbish. The 18K ceiling has to do with Class A airspace certification which is much more expensive. Period.

Here is the proof.
The Unmanned version flown by Israelis has a service ceiling of 30K with the same engines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_DA42

Anyone that wants further information here is a link to the Diamond forum where several folks talk about this very issue.

https://www.diamondaviators.net/forum/v ... php?t=4742

A.) That does not even pass the common sense test.

A.) That does not even pass the common sense test.

Jg

Good point. We have folks arguing about whether boys are boys and girls are girls. And some insisting on their "rights" to identify as the other, and a whole lot of folks thinking that is OK. Crazy world.

Good point. We have folks arguing about whether boys are boys and girls are girls. And some insisting on their "rights" to identify as the other, and a whole lot of folks thinking that is OK. Crazy world.

If you first thoughts run to fear of censorship based on that kind of innocuous statement you might be part of the problem.

If you would raise the specter of censorship in a effort to defend your point of view on issue at hand you are the source of the problem.

If you first thoughts run to fear of censorship based on that kind of innocuous statement you might be part of the problem.

If you would raise the specter of censorship in a effort to defend your point of view on issue at hand you are the source of the problem.