Small wings. Wing and loading · SkyAtlantida online school

Wing and loading

The second module of the course “Small wings”. What wing loading is and how to work it out, why speed grows as the square root of loading, why energy near the ground grows faster, how a small wing responds, what the altitude of Gudauri changes and how our school chooses the size.

⏱ 25 min📖 9 sections✓ 20 questions2 animated diagrams

Wing loading: counting it right

In shortWing loadingithe flight weight with all gear, divided by the wing area, kg/m². Example: 85 kg on 11 m² = 7.7 kg/m². = the whole weight in flight divided by the wing area. The higher the loading, the faster the wing flies, the higher the energy near the ground and the less the wing forgives. In our school the wing size is chosen by loading and by step, not by square metres.

Weight in flight is not the pilot's weight on the scales. It includes everything that flies: pilot, clothing, harness, wing, radio, rucksack. A speed rider also has skis, boots and avalanche kit.

Real-life example. A pilot weighs 75 kg on the scales. In summer, clothing, shoes, harness, wing and radio add about 10 kg: 85 kg in flight. In winter, skis, boots, an avalanche rucksack and warm clothing easily add another 8–12 kg. The same pilot flies at 93–97 kg in winter, with a higher loading on the same wing.

Which area to use. A wing has two areas: flatithe area of the wing laid out on the ground. Manufacturers give it first in their tables. and projectedithe area of the wing's shadow in flight, when it is curved into an arc. It is always smaller than the flat area.. Example: the Ozone Fazer 3 speed wing, size 12, has a flat area of 11.97 m² and a projected area of 10.63 m²: an 11% difference. Loading by the projected area comes out 11% higher. That is why you must not mix them.

In the school we use the flat area. When you compare wings from different manufacturers, check that you took the same area.

What follows is for our students

The full module text, the practice sessions and the exams are open to those who train with us. Access to the theory is included in the course fee: it runs for the whole course and for three months after it ends.

If you are training with us now, or have trained with us before, sign in with your access code. If you are a pilot from another school, access can be bought separately.

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Wing and loading

Wing loading: counting it right

What follows is for our students

Module practice