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  2. Lift-to-drag ratio - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-to-drag_ratio

    Most importantly, the maximum lift-to-drag ratio is independent of the weight of the aircraft, the area of the wing, or the wing loading. It can be shown that two main drivers of maximum lift-to-drag ratio for a fixed wing aircraft are wingspan and total wetted area. One method for estimating the zero-lift drag coefficient of an aircraft is the ...

  3. Wing-shape optimization - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing-shape_optimization

    An example of an optimization proof of concept was done in 2003 by Leoviriyakit using the Boeing 747-200. [4] Using the variable list above, he optimized for only a single point – a lift coefficient of 0.42 and a speed of Mach 0.87, just above cruising.

  4. Gliding flight - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliding_flight

    The lift-to-drag ratio, or L/D ratio, is the amount of lift generated by a wing or vehicle, divided by the drag it creates by moving through the air. A higher or more favourable L/D ratio is typically one of the major goals in aircraft design; since a particular aircraft's needed lift is set by its weight, delivering that lift with lower drag ...

  5. Wing loading - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_loading

    Wing loading is a useful measure of the stalling speed of an aircraft. Wings generate lift owing to the motion of air around the wing. Larger wings move more air, so an aircraft with a large wing area relative to its mass (i.e., low wing loading) will have a lower stalling speed.

  6. Fixed-wing aircraft - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-wing_aircraft

    Powered fixed-wing aircraft (airplanes) ... The Boeing 747 was the world's largest passenger aircraft from 1970 until it was ... The highest lift-to-drag ratio is 70: ...

  7. Wingtip device - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_device

    Like winglets, they increase the effective wing aspect ratio and diminish wingtip vortices, decreasing lift-induced drag. In testing by Boeing and NASA, they reduce drag by as much as 5.5%, compared to 3.5% to 4.5% for conventional winglets. [1] While an increase in span would be more effective than a same-length winglet, its bending moment is ...

  8. Load factor (aeronautics) - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_factor_(aeronautics)

    In the definition of load factor, the lift is not simply that one generated by the aircraft's wing, instead it is the vector sum of the lift generated by the wing, the fuselage and the tailplane, [2]: 395 or in other words it is the component perpendicular to the airflow of the sum of all aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft.

  9. Oswald efficiency number - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_efficiency_number

    For conventional fixed-wing aircraft with moderate aspect ratio and sweep, Oswald efficiency number with wing flaps retracted is typically between 0.7 and 0.85. At supersonic speeds, Oswald efficiency number decreases substantially. For example, at Mach 1.2 Oswald efficiency number is likely to be between 0.3 and 0.5. [1]