Ford Trimotor Straight wings

B-47 Swept-back wings

Delta Dagger Delta wings

X-29 Forward-swept wings

MiG-23 Variable-sweep wings

B-35 Flying wing

Dihedral wings

Aircraft designers have designed several wing types that have different aerodynamic properties. These have different shapes and attach to the aircraft body at different angles at different points along the fuselage. Not all of these planes have a practical use – some have just been use for research.

 

The conventional straight wing extends out from the fuselage at approximately right angles. On early biplanes, one wing often was suspended above the fuselage by some sort of bracing supports while the second crossed directly under the fuselage. On monoplanes, designers positioned the wings at different heights depending on the design-some crossed above the fuselage while others were attached at the lower part of the fuselage.

 

The swept-back wing extends backward from the fuselage at an angle.

 

The delta wing looks much like a triangle when viewed from above (or the Greek letter "delta" Δ.) It sweeps sharply back from the fuselage with the angle between the front of the wing (the leading edge) often as high as 60° and the angle between the fuselage and the trailing edge (the back edge of the wing) at around 90°. The tip of a delta wing is often, but not always, cut off.

 

The forward-swept wing gives an airplane the appearance of flying backward. The wing is angled toward the front of the aircraft and is usually attached to the airplane far back on the fuselage. A small wing called a canard is often attached to the fuselage near the front on this type of aircraft.

 

A variable-sweep wing can be moved during flight-usually between a swept-back position and a straight position.

 

The flying wing is an aircraft design where the wing forms virtually the entire airplane and it sweeps back from the center of the aircraft. The fuselage is a very narrow section in the center that joins the wings without any seams.

 

The term "dihedral" is used to describe wings that are angled upward from the fuselage. Dihedral is the angle at which the wings are slanted upward from the root of the wing (where it is attached to the fuselage) to the wing tip. "Canards" are small wings placed toward the front of the fuselage.