Wing

The word "wing" from the Old Norse vængr[1] for many centuries referred mainly to the foremost limbs of birds (in addition to the architectural aisle).

But in recent centuries the word's meaning has extended to include lift producing appendages of insects, bats, pterosaurs, boomerangs, some sail boats and aircraft, or the airfoil on a race car.

[2] The design and analysis of the wings of aircraft is one of the principal applications of the science of aerodynamics, which is a branch of fluid mechanics.

This force arises from different air pressures that exist on the upper and lower surfaces of the wing.

Fluid dynamics offers other approaches to solving these problems –all which methods produce the same answer if correctly calculated.

Given a particular wing and its velocity through the air, debates over which mathematical approach is the most convenient[citation needed] to use can be mistaken by those not familiar with the study of aerodynamics as differences of opinion about the basic principles of flight.

Wings with a symmetrical cross-section can also generate lift by using a positive angle of attack to deflect air downward.

Two different planforms are shown with a swept wing KC-10 Extender (top) refueling a diamond-like delta wing F-22 Raptor
Condensation in the low pressure region over the wing of an Airbus A340 , passing through humid air
Flaps (green) are used in various configurations to increase the wing area and to increase the lift. In conjunction with spoilers (red), flaps maximize drag and minimize lift during the landing roll.
The wing of a landing BMI Airbus A319-100 . The slats at its leading edge and the flaps at its trailing edge are extended.