Aspect ratio (aeronautics)
Ratio of an aircraft's wing span to its mean chord / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Aspect ratio (disambiguation).
In aeronautics, the aspect ratio of a wing is the ratio of its span to its mean chord. It is equal to the square of the wingspan divided by the wing area. Thus, a long, narrow wing has a high aspect ratio, whereas a short, wide wing has a low aspect ratio.[1]
Aspect ratio and other features of the planform are often used to predict the aerodynamic efficiency of a wing because the lift-to-drag ratio increases with aspect ratio, improving the fuel economy in powered airplanes and the gliding angle of sailplanes.