When span goes up, a higher wingloading tends to be tolerable. Sometimes it's even preferable. I made a 16' span plane that had a ridiculously low wingloading. It had great light lift performance. But it had no legs. Same as an HLG.
The wingloading of a big commercial jet is around 75POUNDS per ft^2. But, a 747 makes a poor HLG even if you could throw the thing. There is no magic here. Just that the bazillion factors involved are exponential so it's often misleading to assume relationships based on cursory observations. Most of the time, lighter weight is helpful for thermaling BUT many times more weight provides other benefits. Further, a larger plane is often able to carry the weight well enough to make the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. No magic just a wonderfully complex system that we mortals like to play with. Bill Swingle Janesville, CA RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
