Dihedral (aircraft) - History

History

In geometry, dihedral angle is the angle between two planes. Aviation usage differs slightly from usage in geometry. In aviation, the usage "dihedral" evolved to mean the positive, up angle between the left and right wings. While usage with the prefix "an-" (as in "anhedral") evolved to mean the negative, down angle between the wings.

The aerodynamic stabilizing qualities of dihedral angle were first described by Sir George Cayley in 1808–1809.

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