Planform facts for kids

The Supermarine Spitfire shows off its special wing shape, called a planform.

A planform is simply the shape you see when you look down at an object from directly above it. Think of it like a map of a building or a city; it shows you the layout from a bird's-eye view.

In aviation, the word planform is used to describe the shape and design of an airplane's wing. Different wing shapes are used for different types of flight, whether an airplane needs to fly slowly or very fast.

Wing Shapes in Aviation

Airplanes have many different wing shapes, or planforms. These shapes are chosen carefully depending on how the plane will be used.

Wings for Slower Flight

Some wing shapes are best for low-speed flight. You often see these on smaller planes, like those used for general aviation (private planes or small passenger planes). These wings are usually straighter and wider, which helps the plane stay in the air at slower speeds.

Wings for Faster Flight

Other wing shapes are designed for high-speed flight. These are common on many military aircraft and large airliners. For example, many fast planes have "swept wings," which means the wings angle backward from the plane's body. This design helps the plane move smoothly through the air at very high speeds.

Gallery

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  Aircraft wing planform shapes: A swept wing KC-10 Extender (top) refuels a F-22 Raptor.

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  The delta-winged Convair F-106 Delta Dart.

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  The swept wing planform of a BMI British Midland Airbus A319-100, seen at take off.

Related pages

• Wing

Images for kids

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  Comparison of several types of graphical projection, including elevation (side view) and plan (top view).

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  A plan view of Millbank Prison, 1828.

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  Principal façade of the Panthéon, Paris, by Jacques-Germain Soufflot. This is an elevation, not a planform.

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  Gaspard Monge's four quadrants and two planes.

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  An example of a multiview orthographic drawing from a US Patent (1913), showing two views of the same object.

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  A 3-D view of a beverage-can stove with a cross-section (a slice) in yellow.

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  A 2-D cross-sectional view of a compression seal.

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  Cutaway of a Porsche 996.

See also

In Spanish: Sistema diédrico para niños