What is the wing loading?

What is the wing loading?

• A. 10.5 lbs/sq.ft.
• B. 9.5 lbs/sq.ft.
• C. 11.0 lbs/sq.ft.
• D. 12.0 lbs/sq.ft.

Answer: (A)

Wing loading is the weight of the airplane divided by its wing area. It tells you how much weight each square foot of wing must support. A wing loading of 10.5 pounds per square foot means every square foot of wing is responsible for 10.5 pounds of aircraft weight. This ratio directly comes from the definition W/S = weight / wing area, so the value 10.5 corresponds exactly to the given weight and wing area in the problem. Higher wing loading means the airplane needs higher speed to generate the same lift (higher stall speed and less margin at low speeds), while lower wing loading allows slower flight and gentler handling.

Wing loading is the weight of the airplane divided by its wing area. It tells you how much weight each square foot of wing must support. A wing loading of 10.5 pounds per square foot means every square foot of wing is responsible for 10.5 pounds of aircraft weight. This ratio directly comes from the definition W/S = weight / wing area, so the value 10.5 corresponds exactly to the given weight and wing area in the problem. Higher wing loading means the airplane needs higher speed to generate the same lift (higher stall speed and less margin at low speeds), while lower wing loading allows slower flight and gentler handling.