Editing Wing loading (section)

{{Short description|Total mass divided by area of wing}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:Monarch In May.jpg|thumb|The [[Monarch Butterfly]] has a very low 0.168 kg/m<sup>2</sup> wing loading]]
[[File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpg|thumb|The [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] has a high 837&nbsp;kg/m<sup>2</sup> maximum wing loading]]

In [[aerodynamics]], '''wing loading''' is the total weight of an aircraft or flying animal divided by the area of its wing.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/wing-loading |title= Wing Loading Definition |publisher= Merriam Webster }}</ref>{{efn|For aircraft, this includes area of [[aileron]]s.<ref name="PHAK" />}} The [[stalling speed]], takeoff speed and landing speed of an aircraft are partly determined by its wing loading.<ref name="PHAK">{{Cite PHAK|chapter=11|pages=8—9}}</ref>

The faster an aircraft flies, the more its [[lift (force)|lift]] is changed by a change in angle of attack, so a smaller wing is less adversely affected by [[Wind gust|vertical gusts]]. Consequently, faster aircraft generally have higher wing loadings than slower aircraft in order to avoid excessive response to vertical gusts.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=first |publisher=Osprey |year=1973 |page=281}}</ref>

A higher wing loading also decreases maneuverability. The same constraints apply to winged biological organisms.