Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A fixed-wing aircraft may have more than one wing plane, stacked one above another: Biplane: two wing planes of similar size, stacked one above the other. The biplane is inherently lighter and stronger than a monoplane and was the most common configuration until the 1930s. The very first Wright Flyer I was a biplane.
Wings with a symmetrical cross-section can also generate lift by using a positive angle of attack to deflect air downward. Symmetrical airfoils have higher stalling speeds than cambered airfoils of the same wing area [ 9 ] but are used in aerobatic aircraft as they provide the same flight characteristics whether the aircraft is upright or ...
[note 1] In a flying boat hull or floatplane float, the longitudinal line of sharp change in cross-section where the bottom plane meets the sidewall is an example of a chine. On some supersonic aircraft a chine extends sideways for some distance, with a very sharp edge blending in with the main wing leading edge root.
Modern aircraft wings may have different airfoil sections along the wing span, each one optimized for the conditions in each section of the wing. Movable high-lift devices, flaps and sometimes slats, are fitted to airfoils on almost every aircraft. A trailing edge flap acts similarly to an aileron; however, it, as opposed to an aileron, can be ...
The NACA four-digit wing sections define the profile by: [2] First digit describing maximum camber as percentage of the chord. Second digit describing the distance of maximum camber from the airfoil leading edge in tenths of the chord. Last two digits describing maximum thickness of the airfoil as percent of the chord. [3]
The Mach 2 F-104 Starfighter used numerous slender spars to allow for a wing of unusually thin section; the F-16 Fighting Falcon uses a similar construction. Other aircraft like the F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle and others use 3 or more spars to give sufficient strength in a relatively thin wing, and thus qualify as multi-spar aircraft. [10]
Generally, longerons are of larger cross-section when compared to stringers. On large modern aircraft the stringer system is more common because it is more weight-efficient, despite being more complex to construct and analyze. Some aircraft use a combination of both stringers and longerons. [4]
A Saab 37 Viggen, the first modern canard aircraft to go into production. In aeronautics, a canard is a wing configuration in which a small forewing or foreplane is placed forward of the main wing of a fixed-wing aircraft or a weapon. The term "canard" may be used to describe the aircraft itself, the wing configuration, or the foreplane.