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Wing loading
Total mass divided by area of wing / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the total mass of an aircraft or flying animal divided by the area of its wing.[1][lower-alpha 1] The stalling speed, takeoff speed and landing speed of an aircraft are partly determined by its wing loading.[2]
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The faster an aircraft flies, the more its lift is changed by a change in angle of attack so a smaller wing is less adversely affected by vertical gusts. Consequently, faster aircraft generally have higher wing loadings than slower aircraft in order to avoid excessive response to vertical gusts.[3]
A higher wing loading also decreases maneuverability. The same constraints apply to winged biological organisms.