wing loading

In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. It is broadly reflective of the aircraft's lift-to-mass ratio, which affects its rate of climb, load-carrying ability, and turn performance.Typical wing loadings range from 20 lb/ft² (100 kg/m²) for general aviation aircraft, to 80 to 120 lb/ft² (390 to 585 kg/m²) for high-speed designs like modern fighter aircraft. The critical limit for bird flight is about 5 lb/ft² (25 kg/m²) (Meunier, 1951).Wings generate lift owing to the motion of air over the wing surface. Larger wings move more air, so an aircraft with a large wing area relative to its mass (i.e., low wing loading) will have more lift at any given speed. Therefore, an aircraft with lower wing loading will be able to take off and land at a lower speed (or be able to take off with a greater load). It will also tend to have a superior rate of climb because less additional forward speed is necessary to generate the additional lift to increase altitude. It may also be capable of more efficient cruising performance because less thrust is required to maintain the lift for sustained flight.
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Noun
1. the ratio of the weight of an airplane to its wing area
(hypernym) loading