The evolution of the aircraft wing

The aircraft wing has transformed from the wooden and fabric twin-wing set up of the Wright brothers’ Flyer, to the composite materials used in the latest models coming off the production line today from the likes of Boeing and Airbus. In fact, Orville Wright’s first flight, lasting 12 seconds, travelled 120ft - less than the wing span of a Boeing 747. The basic forces acting on an aircraft are thrust, drag, lift and weight. OEMs are today placing a major focus on trying to reduce drag and weight across all components, in an effort to improve performance and efficiency.

(Credit: John T Daniels)

While the basic aerofoil shapes laid out in the 1930s by NASA (and its predecessor NACA) have remained, the fundamental platform for generating the lift component, there have been huge advances in both the materials and manufacturing processes used.