High-wing-aircraft fuselage support structure

A structural support assembly for a fuselage of a high-wing aircraft, comprising:

• a pair of columns extending substantially vertically through a passenger compartment of an aircraft having a pair of wings mounted proximate a top of a fuselage;
• a column upper end of at least one of the columns being coupled to a center wing box structure adjacent to a rear spar thereof and proximate a vertical center of gravity of the wings;
• a column lower end of at least one of the columns being coupled to a wheel well forward bulkhead;
• and
• at least one of the columns being positioned adjacent to a passenger seat.

A method of supporting a wing of a high-wing aircraft, comprising:

• providing a fuselage having a wing mounted proximate a top of the fuselage and a main landing gear mounted to the fuselage;
• and
• extending a plurality of columns substantially vertically through an aircraft passenger compartment;
• coupling a column upper end of the plurality of columns to a center wing box structure proximate a rear spar thereof;
• coupling a column lower end of the plurality of columns to a floor substructure of the fuselage;
• and
• transmitting a wing downward load through the plurality of columns and the floor substructure and into the main landing gear.