The parts of an airplane wing and how they work

Every part of an aircraft serves a specific purpose. Most of the time, what you see on a plane isn’t there just for aesthetics; each component has a specific function. I’ve talked a lot about aircraft, but I believe I’ve overlooked some fundamentals that are essential for air passengers to understand. As a result, let’s start with the various sections and parts of an airplane wing and how they function.

A fixed-wing aircraft’s wings are static planes that extend on each side of the aircraft. When the airplane moves forward, air rushes over the wings, which are designed to provide lift. This form is known as an airfoil, and it resembles a bird’s wing. In essence, they are the primary reason why an airplane can fly.

Not only are the wings responsible of making an airplane fly, but they also control the movement of an aircraft. These wings have different moving parts that allow the planes to take-off, land, bank and turn. As such, I now discuss the different parts of an airplane wing and how they work.

Wing terminologies

Before we dig into the specific parts of a wing, let’s first discuss the terminologies for a better understanding of the aircraft wing.

Wingtips
Let’s begin outside the aircraft, at the extreme end of the wing, facing the plane sideways. This is known as the wingtip. The wingtips are the wing’s most remote point from the aircraft’s fuselage.

Wingspan
The wingspan of an aircraft is simply the length of the wings. The distance is measured from the tip of one wingtip to the tip of the other.

Camber
Most aircraft wings have a curved top surface when standing sideways on them. Camber is the depth of the curve. A larger camber indicates a more prominent curve on the upper surface of the wing.

Leading edge
We’ll now move to the front of the plane, so the nose is facing towards us. We can see the front of the wings when we look at them from this position. This is known as the leading edge. The leading edge is always at the front of the wing.

Trailing edge
We can view the backs of the wings if we stand at the back of the plane. These are referred to as the trailing edge. The trailing margins of an aircraft wing are typically much thinner than the leading edge.

Wing root
The wing root is the point at which the wing joins the fuselage of the airplane. The thickest section of the wing is almost often the wing root.

Flight control surfaces of a wing

If you might have noticed, there are a lot of moving parts in a wing and this is called the Flight Control Surfaces. These consists of the flaps, airlerons, slats, and spoilers. Each of these parts have specific functions.

Ailerons
The ailerons allow the pilot to roll the plane from left to right by manipulating the plane’s longitudinal movement. Ailerons will eventually be standard equipment on every wing-equipped airplane. These are the narrow rectangles on the trailing edge of the wing, close to the tips.

Elevating and lowering the ailerons modifies the wing’s chord. Any modification to the chord line will result in a new airflow pattern over the wing. Each wing is dragged down when its associated aileron is raised.

There’s a reversal going on the other wing, but you might not see it. As the aileron is lowered, the wing in action rises.

Rolling moments result from a confluence of the factors listed above.

Flaps
Large panels on the wing’s trailing edge, called flaps, can be utilized to stretch the wing’s span and chord line. They allow the pilots to slow the plane down and have a better view of the runway. They’re also put to use throughout the takeoff process.

In many cases, flaps have more than one adjustment. Depending on the current flight phase and the desired flight characteristics, these settings can be adjusted accordingly. Larger flap settings, often known as “drag flap,” slow the plane to landing speed.

Complete symmetry in flap motion is required. A roll would occur involuntary if only one wing’s flaps were to move, since that wing would provide greater lift than the other.

Slats
The leading edge of the wing has slats that fan outward. The slats’ primary function is to redirect the flow of air over the top of the wing, allowing the plane to fly at an angle that is greater than that of the relative wind. Due to this, the wing may still provide lift even when traveling at a slower speed, which is useful during landing.

There are many ways that slats function. The camber of the wing is mostly increased by all slats. Lift rises in proportion to camber.

In fact, some slats leave a significant opening in the leading edge of the wing. A gap in the wing may not seem like a desirable thing, but it really increases the wing’s effectiveness. The slot keeps the airflow from separating from the wing and prolongs the time that lift is produced.

Spoilers
It’s typical for larger planes to have spoilers. These sizable panels can be found on the upper surface of the wing anywhere from the middle to the trailing edge.

Drag over the wing is increased by using a spoiler. Level flight is more challenging due to drag, as any pilot worth their salt can tell you. A rolling motion is produced by increasing the drag on just one wing.

While aileron can be moved in any direction, spoilers only move in the direction the plane is turning.

All of these panels are forced out into the airstream by the speed brakes. Therefore, the aircraft will be slowed by the drag or allowed to descend rapidly.

Landing with full spoiler deployment is possible. All of the aircraft’s weight is transferred to the wheels, eliminating the wings’ contribution to lift and allowing for a quicker stop.

Other parts of the wing

Aside from the flight control surfaces, there are other parts in a wing that we must take notice of.

Winglet
All newer aircraft have winglets, also known as wingtip devices, which are the upwardly sloping elements on the wings. They’re useful in that they help improve efficiency.

The pressure difference between the upper and lower wing surfaces causes vortices of air to form at the wingtips, resulting in additional drag. In order to decrease air drag and boost wing lift, wingtip devices are typically made to interrupt the vortices.

To read more about winglets or wingtip devices, just go here.

Static wicks
These are those “stick-like” objects that protrude from the trailing edge of a wing. Aircraft surfaces generate static electricity due to air friction, although static wicks and dischargers can eliminate this hazard. Like touching a balloon, being exposed to air friction can cause an electrical imbalance by separating electrons from their atoms.

Wicks are effective because they provide a sharp edge where air is deflected away from the plane’s skin. The excess charge usually escapes through the aircraft’s static wicks and is carried away by the wind.

Flap track fairings
These are those pod-life structures at the trailing edge of a wing. All of the essential parts that make the flaps’ motion and operation possible are housed in the flap track fairings. The jackscrew, carriages, gearboxes, mounting bracketry, and other components for the hydraulic actuators are all part of the package. You can read more about flap track fairings here.

Not only would exposing them decrease an aircraft’s economy and performance, but they’re also exceedingly unaerodynamic. Flap track fairings, for the sake of aerodynamics, must be installed to conceal them. There have been cases of planes losing their flap fairings in flight. It’s not a major issue; it just adds unnecessary drag.

Everything discussed here are just the visible parts of the wings. I will later on discuss the different components found inside a wing structure.