Opinion poll: Wing dimensions

[DrLicor]

The mod procedural wings gives you a 'wing length', when changing this, it changes the 'wing span'.

Not saying that the modmaker is right, but I would understand it as twice as long. 

Although, I thing when you talk about a plane, its 'wide' (span) references the wing length.

Edited September 28, 2016 by DrLicor

[monstah]

2 minutes ago, DrLicor said:

Although, I thing when you talk about a plane, its 'wide' (span) references the wing length.

Yeah, I think that's where part of the confusion comes from. A plane's "length" would be from nose to tail, and its "width" the same as its wingspan, but when you talk about the wing, it is the opposite. Or at least it is to me, I'm a total plane noob, too  

[DrLicor]

Conclusion: you don't talk about wing length, but about the span.

A wing is not measured in length and width, but in span and chord.

Edited September 28, 2016 by DrLicor

[Curveball Anders]

In a RL or a flight sim the terms are span and chord (and a lot of other obscure terms).

In KSP it's length, width, spread, pointyend, triangularish or fat(-ish).

[Nich]

Span and chord

[Van Disaster]

5 hours ago, Majorjim! said:

Oh yes it can.

Ohhh no it can't!

Confusing function ( wing, surface who's primary job is to provide lift ) with component name ( part-called-wing which you can use for all sorts of things ).

Handy guide time!

If you weren't being fascetious about "what is chord", there's been a few posts about it, including mine.

[Curveball Anders]

6 minutes ago, Van Disaster said:

Ohhh no it can't!

Confusing function ( wing, surface who's primary job is to provide lift ) with component name ( part-called-wing which you can use for all sorts of things ).

Handy guide time!

If you weren't being fascetious about "what is chord", there's been a few posts about it, including mine.

"wing" is a shorthand for a surface creating lift.

The "not really a wing" above is most certainly a wing, aka canard.

The body of that aircraft is also a "wing", since it's creating lift.

The span in the above sample is easy, since it's the points of lifting surface furthest from the centreline.

The chord of above sample is complicated ...

[Superfluous J]

17 hours ago, I_Killed_Jeb said:

What prompted this poll?

Sorry, I totally missed this as we seem to have posted at the same time.

I'm writing a ModuleManager config that will modify the descriptions of parts I personally find hard to remember what they do. I'll be posting it in a thread that will ask for suggestions, but I want the config to start with certain things already present. One of those things that has always confused me is the wings, as most of them are described as "A wing type part." Gee thanks for that.

I also have plans to better describe the new comms dishes, when I figure out how the heck they all work my own self

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Van Disaster said:

Ohhh no it can't!

You are incorrect dear boy.

 

Just now, Van Disaster said:

Handy guide time!

LOL, condescend much?

Just now, Van Disaster said:

If you weren't being fascetious about "what is chord"

I was not.

Just now, Curveball Anders said:

"wing" is a shorthand for a surface creating lift.

The "not really a wing" above is most certainly a wing, aka canard.

The body of that aircraft is also a "wing", since it's creating lift.

Thank you.

[Curveball Anders]

50 minutes ago, Van Disaster said:

Ohhh no it can't!

Confusing function ( wing, surface who's primary job is to provide lift ) with component name ( part-called-wing which you can use for all sorts of things ).

Handy guide time!

If you weren't being fascetious about "what is chord", there's been a few posts about it, including mine.

It gets worse.

The bit sticking up labeled "definitely not a wing" most certainly is a <explicite> wing.

Roll that babe 90 deg and pull some G's and you'll have to dance on your rudder to keep her from falling or climbing.

[katateochi]

28 minutes ago, Curveball Anders said:

Roll that babe 90 deg and pull some G's and you'll have to dance on your rudder to keep her from falling or climbing.

I was just going to say, when you roll 90 "definitely not a wing" becomes the only wing and everything else becomes a large rudder. 

This is a great thread btw! 

[RoboRay]

Here's another picture...

 

While "span" is used aeronautically to refer to the combined wingtip-to-wingtip distance of both wings (including the width of any intervening fuselage), "length" (not shown) is commonly used to refer to the wing root (starting at the fuselage) to tip distance.

However, neither "width" nor "length" is defined formally in regards to wing geometry, due to the vagueness of the terms which probably spurred this poll.

Edited September 28, 2016 by RoboRay

[Curveball Anders]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

One of those things that has always confused me is the wings, as most of them are described as "A wing type part." Gee thanks for that.

And you post that question, on KSP forums where the flight sim nuts normally keep quiet but are inherently a passive-aggressive part of the user base.

Well, it'll be a ride

Edited September 28, 2016 by Curveball Anders

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Curveball Anders said:

Well, it'll be a ride

I actually didn't expect it to cause an argument, but to be perfectly honest I'm totes enjoying the ... well I'm sure the expletive filter would turn that into something so I won't even bother. But it involves measuring and not of wings.

Note though that "what exactly is a wing" is not even related to the actual question, as I'm talking about the parts' descriptions and not what function those parts may or may not serve while attached in the editor.

[Dman979]

Ok, let's try something a little less controversial.

Is the dress blue and gold, white and brown, blue and brown, white and gold, or something else?

 

You might just want to end up using XY plane (no pun intended) dimensions. I.e., "From the top view, 2X=Y"