Text 1. Wing

The wing is the principal structural unit of the аirplane. The function of the wing is to provide lift and to support the аirplane in the air.

The wing has a leading edge, trailing edge, tips and a root.

The shape of the wing may be rectangular, triangular, elliptical and swept buck. The amount of the sweepback angle depends upon the type of the аirplane and its design. The sweepback angle is the angle between the wing and a perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the аirplane. High-speed jet aircraft have a greater sweepback angle. The dihedral angle is the angle between the wing and a horizontal plane. The angle of attack is the angle between the chord of the wing and the direction of the relative wind. When an аirplane 's angle of attack is so steep that the airflow over the upper surface of the wing breaks, lift is lost and drag increases. The chord is the distance between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the wing. The angle of incidence is the angle between the longitudinal axis of the аirplane and the chord of the wing. It is measured by the angle at which the wing is attached to the fuselage. The angle of incidence is fixed. It cannot be changed by the pilot.

The position of the wing may vary. The airplane may have a parasol, high-wing, mid-wing and low-wing construction.

The airplanes may be divided according to the number of wings into monoplanes, biplanes and multiplanes. Monoplanes have one wing, biplanes have two wings and multiplanes have many wings.

The wing may be made of wood, fabric, metal or composite material which depends on the design of the airplane.

Exercise 2. Remember the pronunciation and meanings of the following words:

1. Longeron/ spar – лонжерон; 2. stringer – стрингер; 3. extend out – виходити зовні; 4. longitudinal axis – повздовжна вісь; 5. main plane – крило, несуча площина; 6. port (starboard) main plane – ліве (праве) напівкрило; 6. aileron – елерон; 7. flap – закрилок; 8. wing tip – закінцівка крила; 9. box type wing – крило коробчатого типу; 10. multi-spar wing – багатолонжеронне крило; 11. sandwich type – багатошаровий тип; 12. airfoil – аеродинамічна поверхня (профіль); 13. high- (low-, mid-) wing monoplane – моноплан з високим (низьким, середнім) розташуванням крила; 14. sweep angle – кут стріловидності; 15. sweepback wing – стріловидне крило; 16. leading edge – передня кромка; 17. trailing edge – задня кромка; 18. span-wise members – елементи, розміщені вздовж крила; 19. chord-wise members – елементи, розміщені вздовж хорди; 20. lift – підйомна сила; 21. drag – лобовий опір; 22. stressed skin – працююча обшивка; 23. honey-comb core – сотовий заповнювач; 24. center panel – центроплан