Ask an Explainer

These are all different ways of arranging the wings on an airplane. How an airplane’s wings are placed on an airplane refers to its wing configuration. A high wing is a configuration with the wings set on the top of the airplane’s body, called the fuselage. A mid-wing configuration places the wings exactly at the midline of the airplane, at half of the height of the fuselage. A low wing configuration places the wings anywhere below the midline of the airplane, or any where on below half of the fuselage’s height. High wing airplanes are very stable at slower speeds, meaning they can right themselves quickly if they encounter turbulence while traveling slowly. Mid wing airplanes are very well balanced, and their design means that they have a large control surface area. Control surfaces are portions of an airplane that are involved in steering. These airplanes are very maneuverable, but not as stable as high wing airplanes. Low wing airplanes are more stable than mid-wing airplanes, but not as much as high-wing airplanes. They are also more maneuverable than high-wing airplanes.