We occasionally (but still too often) get inquiries from modelers who are concerned that their wing tips appear to hang lower than the centre section of the wing when the wing is mounted on the fuselage.

Resolution:

In Brief: Check the instructions, pictures, illustrations, box art and all documentation to ensure that the wing has been assembled right way up. If the wing has been assembled upside down, a new wing will be required.

In Detail: Most real aircraft and most models have wing tips that are slightly higher than the centre section of the wing when the wing is mounted on the fuselage. This is called Dihedral and is a part of the design. Dihedral helps with stabilty and Dihedral is used on most trainers and many scale models of real aircraft. Some models are designed for aerobatics and will have a very small amount of Dihedral or may have none at all... they will have wing tips that are more or less even with the height of the centre section of the wing when the wing is mounted on the fuselage. In rare cases full size aircraft will have the wing tips hanging lower (drooping) than the centre section of the wing when the wing is mounted on the fuselage. This is called Anhedral... it is rare in full size aircraft winds and even rarer in model wings. Anhedral is used on a few horizontal stabilizers such as the F4 Phantom II.

If a wing is intended to have drooping wing tips (Anhedral) then the wing roots will still fit tightly together where they join with no gap in the joint on either the top or bottom of the wing. If a wing has drooping wing tips and has a gap in the top or bottom of the wing where the wing sections join, the wing has been assembled upside down. If the wing has been assembled upside down, a new wing will be required.