Why does the shape of the wing change when a jetliner prepares to land?
There are a few principles about wings and aerodynamics that you need to understand for this question. The way a wing behaves in flight is dependent upon the wing design and what the plane is doing. * * * First of all: a quick definition of lift: Lift is not a push. It is a ‘suck’. As air passes an aerofoil, it splits into two halves. One half flows over the top of the wing, the other half flows over the bottom. Now, if the air on one side has to go further than the other side, it has to flow faster. This is why the wings are curved. The curve on top creates a longer distance to the rear than the flat bottom. The air on top has to travel farther, hence faster. As air speeds up, its pressure decreases. So, what you have is an area of low pressure above the wing that ‘sucks’ the wing up. This is lift. * * * Draw an aerofoil shape (like a side view of a wing). Now, draw a line from the front tip to the rear tip. This is called the ‘chord’ line. There are several principles that flaps and
