What are the Different Types of Wings on Aircraft?

The oldest wing design, which is also the easiest to manufacture, is the rectangular wing. This type of wing was used in the Wright Brothers' first aircraft, the Wright Flyer, and is still found in some small aircraft today. While they are cheaper and simpler to manufacture, rectangular wings have the disadvantage of being aerodynamically inefficient.
 
Elliptical wings are the most efficient in creating lift with minimal drag. One of the most well-known military aircraft in history, the Supermarine Spitfire, popularized the elliptical design and would go on to have an impressive service career. While most efficient in theory, the practical use of the elliptical wing is not that common due to several disadvantages. Elliptical wings stall at the tip first and cause the plane to quickly and violently roll, which is a difficult stalling condition to recover from. Furthermore, true elliptical designs are very expensive to manufacture and require more man-hours.
 
The delta wing is a popular design commonly seen on fighter jets. Delta wings are named for their simple triangle design, which is more cost-efficient to produce than others and is easily scalable. These wings are efficient at all speeds, including low, transonic, and high-speed supersonic, which is necessary for fighters as they change speeds dynamically based on the situation. Additionally, their high surface area allows for greater fuel storage as well as wing durability. Due to their superior efficiency at supersonic speeds, delta wings have been deployed on several notable aircraft, including the Space Shuttle and the Russian MiG-21. However, the drawbacks of the delta design are several. In order to create lift at low speeds such as takeoff, aircraft equipped with these wings must enter a very high angle of attack which means the tail must be designed to clear the ground even at steep angles. Moreover, at supersonic speeds, this wing design lacks maneuverability.
 
The ogival wing is slightly different from the delta wing and was designed to have greater efficiency during takeoff and landing. Its design is similar to the delta but is more narrow towards the front of the fuselage. It also features a downwards droop towards the tip of the wing. These variations in design allow for greater lift at a similar angle of attack to delta wings. Also, a "cushion" is created between the ground and the wing, allowing for smoother landings even from high speeds. These highly-technical wings were most famously found on the Concorde. However, their disadvantage comes from the complexity and cost in manufacturing, and most production aircraft don't ever exceed supersonic speeds.
 
The majority of commercial jet aircraft use a design called swept-back wings. Swept-back wings work to delay the phenomenon of supersonic flow, which commonly affects jet engine aircraft. These aircraft fly at speeds close to the speed of sound as part of regular operation. As described by Bernoulli's principle, air accelerates as it travels on top of the wing, which means the air will commonly speed up to Mach 1, which is supersonic. When the air slows back down to subsonic speeds, it creates a shock wave that will cause drag. Swept-back wings overcome this problem by altering the amount of acceleration over the wing. This alteration allows for jet aircraft to fly at higher Mach speeds before that phenomenon occurs. A major drawback to this design is a reduction in the amount of lift that the wing creates at lower speeds. Jet aircraft use robust flap systems to overcome this, but the swept-back wing design and subsequent flap system aren't necessary for other planes that never reach near-supersonic speeds.
 
ASAP Parts 360 has an expansive array of various wings and wing components, and our expert team is standing by 24/7x365 to help you meet your parts requirements. With rapid lead times and same-day shipping on select products, we help you efficiently get back up and running. For a quick and competitive quote, call us at 1-708-387-7800 or email us at sales@asapparts360.com.