@JD-EE
I fail to see a loop.
It looks very much like a small (semi) vertical monopole planted on the virtual ground (the aircraft).
At about 9 feet its resonance is around 26 MHz, (radiation) efficiency of the order of 1%, a set up similar to an HF whip on a car.
The location allows for a rail-kind of radiator, it helps to handle the many Amperes (not far from 100 ?) and flattens the bandwidth behavior (no need to retune when staying within a same frequency band).
Radiation would be pretty well omnidirectional with a peak towards the front (more return current).
Worth a different thread perhaps.
Kalimera