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Q:

How much lift can wings produce?

A:

An airliner wing may produce a pound of lift per square inch in level flight. That doesn't seem like much, but over the entire surface of the wings these pounds-per-square-inch add up. The wings of a Boeing 747 have a surface area of about 510 square meters (5,500 square feet) and can produce as much as 390 tons (850,000 pounds) of lift.

Ask an Explainer
Posted on May 11, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Categories:
Aerodynamics
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