Wing loading

The wing loading of a wing arises from the mass of a missile divided by the wing area:

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If the wing is not a rectangle, it must be regarded as an integral over the span:

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The lift coefficient and the surface load of the wing determine the (minimum) airspeed. This means that an aircraft with a high wing loading high, a lower wing loading allows a lower speed. Therefore corresponds to a reduction of the surface load optimization for slow flight and vice versa, ie the wing loading has great influence on the minimum flight speed vS or vS0. Hydrofoil high wing loading usually have an array of buoyant aids to facilitate the take off and landing. For example, one reaches the so-called Fowler flaps (in addition to increased lead angle ) increasing the wing area and thus a reduction of the surface load.

For sailplanes the surface load can be varied in flight over the mass of the aircraft. To be filled before start ballast in the form of water in particular tanks, which are installed in the vane. Should the glider now a lower wing loading, it can drain the water in flight. This has the advantage that when weather conditions with strong thermals allows the polar curve by the higher wing loading faster gliding with less sink rate once the thermals wears off, water can be drained, making it easier to climb is made possible in weak thermals.

The wing loading is intentionally designed as a variable parameter in flight over the wing surface in some patterns. This concerns V.A. Aircraft that are equipped with so-called swing wings.

Aircraft categories

  • Model aircraft and ultralight gliding devices have a Flächenlastung of about 2 to 10 kg/m2.
  • Paragliders about 3-4 kg/m2.
  • Parachutes about 4.5 to 10 kg/m2 (high performance parachutes tw. To 15 kg/m2).
  • Hang-glider about 7-8 kg/m2.
  • Gliders about 30 to 40 kg/m2.
  • High performance gliders from 40 to 60 kg/m2.
  • Small aircraft (motorized), about 80-110 kg/m2.
  • Fighter jets about 300 to 500 kg/m2.
  • Propeller -driven airliners about 100 to 200 kg/m2.
  • Jet -powered passenger aircraft 300 to 800 kg/m2.
  • Airbus A400M at maximum take-off mass 637 kg/m2.
  • MD -11F at maximum take-off mass 844 kg/m2.
  • Gliding
  • Aeronautical engineering
Flap (aircraft)
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