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Why when a plane is in flight, the wingtip goes up?
I notice that when a plane is flying the wing is a bit more curved upwards towards the end (it's not its dihedral, it's curved more upwards than that) compared to when it is on the ground. Why is this?
The planes I notice this on is commercial airliners so far.
5 Answers
- Skipper 747Lv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
Flex of the wing structure by the action of the lift created by that wing -
When airplane is parked, no lift, so the wing bends down because of its weight -
The longer the wings are, the more the bending is noticeable -
ALL airplanes wings bend... some very little indeed -
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Source(s): Retired airline pilot - Dan BLv 78 years ago
Wings have to be a little flexible so that they don't break under stress of rough air and air currents. It's the suspension system of the aircraft while in flight. In the air, the wings support the entire weight of the aircraft. Positive air pressure on the underside of the wing and negative (actually less positive) air pressure on the upper surface of the wing causes it to flex upward. It's almost like the airplane wing is being sucked upwards and the fuselage is being brought downwards by gravity.
The B52 bomber had a wing flex of -10 degrees on the ground to +22 degrees when airborne - a 32 foot difference. Longer wing spans have more flex. A small single engine, fixed gear Cessna has no measurable wing flex.
- Anonymous4 years ago
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- AIM-7Lv 58 years ago
Well, that is because the wing is supporting the entire weight of the airplane! When the airplane takes off, the weight is transferred from wheels to the wing, and the flex you see is because of that. The wings are designed to support the weight of the airplane (and more) and can flex to surprisingly high angles.
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- SteveLv 48 years ago
Gravity pulls them down on the ground. When in flight, high pressure under the wing and low above, cause it to curve up. Thy are somewhat flexible.