Wings and what they are

Introduction
We've all seen aircraft everywhere, everyday. But have we seen them without wings? Not really. But have you ever thought of the importance of those wings. Why are they there for us? What is the purpose? Read this article to find out the mysteries behind these huge things.

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Flight
You may have never known this, but without wings, the aircraft cannot take flight. Let's get down to the basics. The wings house most of the most important systems on the aircraft that help keep it in the air. Some examples are:
 * Engines (Lift Generator)
 * Flaps, Slats and Ailerons (maneuverability)
 * Winglets (Drag reduce)
 * (In some cases) Landing Gear
 * Fuel
 * Other

Breaking it down
Since there are quite alot of things listed, we will be breaking it down so you understand everything thoroughly.

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Engines
Let's first start with the engines. The engines are the primary system used to keep the plane flying. Without the engines, the plane would not be able to take flight or maintain flight. As you may have heard, many aircraft incidents involve losing engine power or thrust, which lead to catastrophic consequences.

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Flaps, Slats and Ailerons
Even if there are engines and everything else, without flaps, you wouldn't be having a great time in the air either. The aircraft will not be able to turn or roll* and you are basically a duck that is stuck moving. You have no control over where the plane goes. You also are unable to raise or lower the nose, so if the nose lowers, you will probably go striaght down. Also, if you attempt to land, you will have no options but to land at higher speeds than normal landings which can be dangerous. On the right is a colored diagram of a airplane wing.

*Uneven engine power can be used to turn or bank

Winglets
Winglets have now become the standard for most airlines as they save billions on fuel costs by their wonderful way of drag reduce. Winglets are little bends at the tip of an airplane wing that makes the airflow smoother which reduces drag. It is said by NASA that winglets can reduce drag up to 5.5%! Without them, there would be alot of drag put on the wings, causing more fuel to be burnt and less speed and efficiency. Although they are not required, they are still a important part of the wing. Visit: What are winglets? for more information. On the right is an American Airlines Boeing 767 Wingtip device.

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Landing Gear
At some point, you might come through a plane with it's main gear on the inside of the wings. An excellent example it the Airbus A340, which has the main landing gear attached onto the inner side of the wing. Other examples include the Boeing 747 which has a pair of landing gears on the inner wing, even though they aren't the main landing gear. If you look closely at Learjet landing gear, the main gear is actually on the wing. Look closely at the picture on the right. You will notice that the main landing gear of the A340 is attached to the inner side of the wing.

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Fuel
There are usually 3 places on an average jetliner that hold fuel. They are the middle fuel compartment, right and left fuel compartment. The right and left fuel compartments are located on the wings of the aircraft. They house fuel and are mainly used to hold the majority of the fuel during a flight. They supply fuel for the engines. Without fuel, don't even think about flying. There would be no way for the aircraft to fly without a required source of power, in this case, fuel.

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The basics
Overall, the main thing we need to know is that, despite all the rumours that planes can be acted like rockets to take flight and that wings aren't needed, they aren't true. Wings generate lift and are needed to house things that generate lift. Without these precioius things, airplanes wouldn't be able to take flight.