Flight.-The modern wing

The wing has its spoilers up significantly increasing the force of drag. During take-off drag needs to be minimised while during landing it needs to be increased. The significant increase in drag created slows the plane down. The relative slow speeds involved with take-off mean that a large wing surface area must be present to generate lift. This wing is not extended so the plane is not taking -off.

At maximum speed there is enough air flowing over the wing to maintain a large force of lift. The wing is streamlined and although does not have the large surface area of the extended wing creates lift.

The modern wing
The modern wing allows for maximum control of the plane. The wing can actually increase its surface area to create more lift. The image on the right shows the wing fully extended, the greater surface area now present will cause the a greater force of lift to be developed. This allows the pilot to land the plane at low speeds. During landing slow speeds are needed for safety while lift still needs to be maintained. When flying on a large jet you will notice that the wings are fully extended during take-off. Once again, greater lift is generated while the playing is still increasing its speed for take-off.
The wing is made of very tough and flexible metals. The wing bends significantly during flight. A flexible wing is less likely to develop stress fractures and suffer structural damage during high speed flight.
The wing has a set of flaps called spoilers. These spoilers are used to create drag and interfere with the air flowing over the wing. As a consequence spoilers cause the plane to lose altitude as the force of lift is decreased.
The wing of a plane is shown on the left. Is the plane taking-off or landing? Explain. Solution
The wing of a plane is shown on the left. Is the plane taking-off at low speeds or is it more likely to be flying at maximum speed? Explain. Solution