Dihedral & Anhedral
Last year I was at the Shoreham air show, eyeing up the harrier. Now, forgive me if I get this the wrong way round, but on say the 737, the wings viewed from the front have pronounced dihedral I.e. they point upwards, which I believe promotes roll stability. The Harrier on the other hand, has pronounced anhedral, with the wings pointed downwards. Also, the Harrier has the bulk of it's hull beneath the wing, whilst the 737 has it's above the wing root.
Why is this? I fly paragliders, which also have heavy anhedral & my body which represents the hull is a long way below the wing. I'm told that the anhedral is the only way which will allow my aircraft with it's pendular stability to turn. Is that right?
Incidentally, at the show, I asked a harrier pilot the same question & he didn't know either!