High wing with rear mounted engines

[Mike Pryce]

Does anyone know if any company ever studied an airliner/transport with a high wing and rear mounted engines?

The nearest thing I can think of is the Northrop X-21, but I'd like to know if anyone ever had the idea of putting flaps (the X-21 did not use them) in front of a fan.

Were there ever any high wing DC-9/BAC 111/727 etc. studies done?

 

[red admiral]

I had a look into this a year or so ago and found hardly anything. X-21 is the "realest" thing I could find. A few other more academic studies for airliners, sometimes with strut/truss braced wings.

 

[Mike Pryce]

Good to know it's not just me!

I did find a sort of attempt with a low wing. See inboard engine, and flap thing in front.

 

[CJGibson]

Albatross!

 

[Schneiderman]

Albatross!

Stormy petrel on a stick!

 

[zebedee]

Albatross!

What flavour is it...?

 

[Nik]

With the wing almost directly in line with the jet inlets, are we looking at 'really bad' turbulence, especially at some angles of attack ??

 

[Aeroweanie]

Honda MH-02:

 

[red admiral]

With the wing almost directly in line with the jet inlets, are we looking at 'really bad' turbulence, especially at some angles of attack ??

Not really i don't think. With engine line below the wing plane it more about operating in the downwash of the wing rather than particular vortex ingestion issues. Its more that the streamtube of air entering the inlet will change angle significantly with aircraft angle of attack and mode (e.g. flap setting)

I think the main reason there aren't more aircraft configurations like this is more down to the advantages/disadvantages in other areas. e.g. I'm not sure why you'd do this unless you wanted a lotmof uninterrupted fuselage real estate forwards for say side and downwards looking radars or for a big modular payload attachment that serves as the centre fuselage

 

[CJGibson]

Albatross!

What flavour is it...?

It's a bird, innit. It's a bloody sea bird . .. it's not any bloody flavor. Albatross!

 

[pgd2000]

One that jumps out at me is the BAC proposal in response to the Air Ministry's AST 364 for a strategic transport. It's detailed in the book "On Atlas' Shoulders," which may also have other types with this same planform (High wing, rear-mounted engineers). But the BAC proposal is the most obvious one. Probably because it is also on the cover of the book, too!.

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/on-atlas-shoulders-raf-transport-aircraft-projects-since-1945.27277/page-3

 

[red admiral]

That one has very high mounted engines. Very similar relative placement as per VC-10 but the wing and engines have been translated vertically upwards.