Wing Loading
Wing Loading
Wing loading — weight per unit wing area — sets stall speed, manoeuvrability and ride in turbulence.
The wing loading is W/S. where W is the aircraft weight and S the wing area.
Inputs
W := 120000 N=120000 N
S := 28 m^2=28 m^2
Divide weight by wing area.
WL := W/S=4285.71 Pa
Results
High wing loading gives a fast, smooth ride but a high stall speed and long runways; low wing loading turns tightly and lands slowly. It is a central design trade-off.
Assumptions & limitations
- Total weight over reference wing area.
- Level flight.
- Clean configuration.