Midwing

Midwing is an aircraft wing configuration in which the wing is mounted roughly halfway up the vertical profile of the fuselage, as opposed to high-wing (top-mounted) and low-wing (bottom-mounted) designs. The mid-wing position places the wing junction near the fuselage’s midline, often requiring a carefully engineered wing-fuselage fairing and a strong internal structure to carry lift loads.

Advantages include reduced interference drag between wing and fuselage and the potential for a slender, aerodynamically efficient fuselage. A mid-wing can allow for a nearly straight wing with favorable lift distribution and can support compact internal layouts for components such as a central payload. The configuration can contribute to good overall performance, particularly at higher speeds. However, mid-wing designs complicate construction and maintenance: accessing the wing roots can be harder, landing gear may require complex retract mechanisms or wing-fuselage pods, and the wing-fuselage intersection can limit interior volume.

In practice, mid-wing configurations are most common in specialized aircraft such as aerobatic, research, and some light sport airplanes, as well as certain sailplanes and experimental designs where clean aerodynamics outweigh the added complexity. They are less common in general aviation due to maintenance and assembly considerations, and because stability and handling characteristics depend strongly on the overall design, including tail configuration and wing planform.

Overall, the mid-wing remains a niche configuration chosen for aerodynamic efficiency in specific applications rather than a general-purpose layout.