Aero-Tips!
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statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.")
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master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be
something we might never have considered before, or something that
didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized
it for the practical test.
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Aero-Tips 09.14.06
Different airplanes handle differently. That should be pretty
obvious, but why is this so? There are many factors that affect an
airplane's handling -- one of them is wing loading.
Wing loading describes the amount of aircraft weight carried by
the wing. It's usually calculated as the airplane's maximum takeoff
weight divided by the wing area, and measured in pounds per square
foot.
(Note: the units are arbitrary; it could
just as easily be expressed in fanegas per hectare. Okay, maybe not
as easily).
An airplane with a lower wing loading (more wing for the weight)
can takeoff off in a shorter distance and outclimb a similar-weight
airplane with less wing (higher wing loading). They can also carry
more aircraft weight for the same engine power…more wing is
pulled (or pushed) through the air by the engine, so more lift is
generated to counter weight.
The downside is that lower wing-loading airplanes are more
affected by turbulence. With less directional inertia (per unit of
wing area) and more wing area on which a gust can act, the
lightly-loaded wing will bounce around a lot more than an airplane
with higher wing loading. It's not the only factor, but wing
loading determines in large part how a particular airplane will
ride in turbulent conditions.
In general, if you want a good ride you want higher wing
loading, but if short-field performance and maneuverability are
important to you, low wing loading is superior.
For comparison purposes let's look at the wing loading of a few
personal aircraft, to gauge (at least initially) how they might
takeoff, climb, turn and ride compared to others:
You can divide your airplane's maximum takeoff weight by the
wing area to see how it stacks up.
Aero-tip of the day: Understand wing loading as
a function of airplane performance and stability.