Wing

A wing is an aerodynamic surface that generates lift and can also control an aircraft’s motion. Its shape and orientation determine how it interacts with airflow.

Lift (force): The aerodynamic force component perpendicular to the oncoming airflow. A wing’s primary function is to generate lift to support an aircraft.
Chord (aeronautics): The straight-line distance from an airfoil’s leading edge to its trailing edge. Chord is the reference length for wing proportions and aerodynamic coefficients.
Variable-sweep wing: An aircraft wing whose sweep angle can change in flight. Moving the wing allows one aircraft to adapt between low- and high-speed flight.
Rotor (aeronautics): A rotating assembly of blades that produces aerodynamic forces, commonly lift or thrust. A rotor can support an aircraft without relying on a fixed wing moving forward through the air.
Angle of attack: The angle between an airfoil’s reference line and the oncoming airflow. Changing this angle changes wing lift and drag, until airflow separates.
Aspect ratio (aeronautics): A wing’s span squared divided by its planform area. Aspect ratio relates a wing’s slenderness to its induced drag and structural demands.
Flying wing: An aircraft configuration in which the wing contains most or all of the aircraft’s payload and systems. It shows how far aircraft design can integrate the wing with the fuselage.
Helicopter: A rotorcraft whose powered rotors provide lift and control, enabling vertical takeoff and landing. Its main rotor replaces the fixed wing as the primary source of lift.
Airfoil: A cross-sectional shape designed to interact with airflow and produce aerodynamic forces. A wing is a three-dimensional surface whose sections commonly have airfoil shapes.
Wing loading: The ratio of an aircraft’s weight to its wing area. Wing loading helps predict takeoff, landing, and maneuvering speeds.

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