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OT: Why so few airplanes with canards?

Sci.aeronautics is dead, it seems, so allow me to ask here. At least it's not about climate, politics or removing X signs.

Why are there so few planes with canard wings? It seems to me an obvious way to gain a few percent of efficiency: The tail of an ordinary plane needs to have negative lift for stability, which needs to be compensated for by extra wing lift. A canard, on the other hand, contributes positive lift, so I'd expect less overall drag for the equivalent total lift. So why are there so few that do this?

Jeroen Belleman

Reply to
jeroen
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As I understand it, canards are mostly used for maneuverability, at the level needed in fighter aircraft. But there are lots of options to obtain the needed level of agility, and while canards are always considered, they don't often win the tradeoff studies in aircraft. One does see them in air-to-air missiles, where the key is to be able to out-maneuver the intended target, often itself a fighter aircraft.

Joe Gwinn

Reply to
Joe Gwinn

It is possible to design planes that are marginally or entirely unstable with either the usual configuration or with canards, which is useful when exceptionally agility is needed.

My interest was more in passenger or transport aircraft, where the usual target is economy. It's quite possible to design stable aircraft with canards. It's a matter of where you put the centre of gravity w.r.t. the centre of lift. I'm just wondering if such a plane could not also be made more economical.

I've read arguments against canards because they would disturb airflow over the wings. I think that argument doesn't hold water.

Jeroen Belleman

Reply to
jeroen

I'd expect they have experimented, blown in tunnels etc., whatever they do and decided against it? May be whirlwinds (if this is the correct word) or whatever lead to more losses. Or just friction if these additional wings mean larger total surface. But I have read about this less than you have, knew nothing about it even a few decades ago when I liked to build flying models... Did not understand the "canards" word, had to look it up.

Reply to
Dimiter_Popoff

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