FlightPathOBN
If you look at a section of the wingbox, you will see the 'flat' portion you are curious about...
I'm not talking about the internal structure. I'm talking about the fuselage section in between the wings. Evidently, depending on the shape of that structure there is a lift contribution in some cases -- I was basically curious if anybody pre area-rule contemplated flattening the fuselage in between the wings to help make it more "wing-like", effectively deriving more lift from the fuselage.
Understand?
FE Hoppy
Jane, the idea was explored in many ways from Parasol Fokker D.VIII and PBY catalina to the flying wings of Horten and others.
I didn't know that's why the PBY was designed with a parasol wing, I guess it makes sense though.
I know about flying wings, but many of them had bad handling characteristics in one way or another
(bad-stall characteristics for one, sometimes instability, a tendency to wallow in flight) unless there was fuselage in the middle
There will always be a compromise between structural requirements of the fuselage in terms of strength, volume and shape and the desire to get the most out of the wing.
I thought flying wings were excellent structural designs unless pressurization was an issue as the fuselage frames are effectively the same as the wing's spars and share each other's loads.