Ask an Explainer

Most airplane wings do not get hotter in flight. They actually get quite cold.  Planes that fly faster than the speed of sound can get very hot though. The wings of the X-15, the fastest airplane ever flown, got as hot as 650°C (1,200° F).

At higher altitudes the atmosphere is colder. At 10,600 meters (35,000 feet), (the average cruising altitude of a modern passenger jet) the temperature is about -40°to -51°C (-40°to -60°F). The wings of an airplane flying at that height would only be a few degrees warmer than the external temperatures due to frictional heating.  When the sound barrier is exceeded, the shock wave that forms greatly increases the temperature. Thanks for the great question!