just wanna say first that this site has been a great in helping me learn all the terms involved in his hobby.


One thing I still haven't got a grasp on is "wing load".

how does it effect the lift the wing makes, how does it effect stall speed, is a higher wing load better or is lower, how does the airfoil shape change the wing load......?

I know I can go on and on so I'll cut the string on this kite now! lol


Thanks for your help

Wing loading really just means how hard the wing has to work to keep the model flying. It's usually given in ounces per square feet and is worked out by measuring the area of your wing (including ailerons) then simply dividing that figure by the total weight of the model. What you'll find with most models is a figure somewhere around 20-30 ounces/sq foot.

This wing loading has no affect on how much lift the wing can make but what it does do is affect the way the model flies. To fly straight and level the wing has to make enough lift to exactly balance the weight of the model, if it weighs 6 pounds then the wing has to develop 6 pounds of lift no matter what speed it's flying at. But go into a tight loop or pull up hard into a climb and you might be pulling 10G's which means the plane now acts as though it weighs 60 pounds (the wing loading is now 10 times higher). But if the wing is only capable of developing 55 pounds of lift the model will stall. The cure? Either add more wing area or reduce the weight of the plane so you can do a 10G turn.

As for stall speed, a lower wing loading means a lower stall speed making the model easier to take off and land. Airfoil shape has no affect on wing loading, it only determines the maximum amount of lift the wing can generate.

The above gentleman is correct.. to be alittle more direct.. scale and heavier type planes generally have a wing loading of over 28 oz/sq.ft. The average trainer runs more in the 18 - 24 range and a glider runs in the 10 - 12 lb range. You could build two trainers. One weighing much more than the other. The heavier would have a higher wingloading.. it would have to take off faster, would have to fly at a higher speed to maintain the same lift and will land faster and decend faster. In short be harder to fly.

Welcome to the RCU!

Don't be concerned about such terms! They will become evident as you get more and more addict#$, ur, I mean knowlegable

Just get you a trainer and a club to fly at and do it!

Oh, by the way the "wing loading" on a trainer is very low and on the space shuttlle very high. Does that answer your question?

Just what I like to see. The simple clean version.. LOL.. you got it dude.

There is a formula for it but i will take it a different way. Jet and Prop jets have a high wing loading since they are all fuselage and no wing. They fly hot and fast and land the same way. if the engine quits in flight, there glide ratio is simliar to a lead balloon. Most Warbirds are the same way. You cannot just coast on in or you may stall it.
The lower the wing load number the more of a floater it is. My DC propjet has a wingloading of 32. I have a Large lanier Stinger with an 80inch wingspan with a wing load of 9. Size is really irrelevant. I have a "Shrike" have not bothered to figure it out but i bet it is in the 30's. I run out of elevator everytime I land

let`s see, that`s # of square inch wing area divided by 144. Then divide the weight in ounces by the area in square feet. right?

wing 50 inch span x 10 inch chord = 500 sq. in.
weight is 5 lbs x 16 ounces = 80 ounces.

500sq.in divided by 144 = 3.472
80 ounces divided by 3.472 = 21.38 oz/sq.ft.

Midwest Sweet Stick ....