Aircraft Components

2. Wings

Tragfläche

The wings of an airplane are the primary supporting structure.  They carry the aircraft by creating lift through their design.  Wings can have many different shapes and lengths, there are short thick, long narrow, delta wings in triangular form and self-rotating wings.  A helicopter flies only because of the rotating wings.  Aerodynamically this is no different from conventional aircraft wings.  

The design of the wing significantly determines the flight characteristics of an aircraft.  Short and thick wings often have much more lift than a long, narrow and thin wing.  However, the resistance increases with increasing speed.