Interesting Things about Wings

There are several interesting facts about wings that are useful in developing a more detailed understanding of how they work. Wing shape, the angle of attack, flaps, slats, rotating surfaces and blown surfaces are all important elements to consider.

Let's start with wing shape.

Wing Shape
The "standard" airfoil shape that we examined above is not the only shape for a wing. For example, both stunt planes (the kind that fly upside down for extended periods of time at air shows) and supersonic aircraft have wing profiles that are somewhat different than you would expect:

The upper airfoil is typical for a stunt plane, and the lower airfoil is typical for supersonic fighters. Note that both are symmetric on the top and bottom. Stunt planes and supersonic jets get their lift totally from the angle of attack of the wing.