Most of us recognize an airplane when we see one. They have a very distinct appearance, a long metal tube pointed at two ends, with two wings and a tail section. Airplanes were modeled after birds. And it is absolutely crucial that they adhere to this appearance in order to take and maintain flight.
So, can an airplane fly with only one wing? No, an airplane cannot fly with only one wing. In order for a plane to stay stable in air, it has to maintain balance. With only one wing, the weight is shifted to one side of the plane. This makes it impossible to balance.
There have been instances in history where pilots had to improvise when their planes lost one of their engines. Of course, malfunctioning engines are more common, and it is technically possible for pilots to fly and land a plane with only one running engine. But it is impossible for a plane to fly with just one wing under normal circumstances. In this article, we will discuss why.
Table of Contents
How do airplanes fly?
Before we can explain to you why airplanes can’t fly with just one wing, you must understand how it is that airplanes fly at all. It may seem magical, but there’s actually a neat manipulation of physics involved.
There are two forces that a plane needs to overcome in order to operate. The first is drag, and the second is gravity.
The plane overcomes drag by creating thrust from its propeller. Air is collected from one end and blown out from the other, creating a force in the opposite direction. As per Newton’s third law, the plane is thus propelled forward.
There is another more important force that an airplane needs to overcome in order to take flight. It is gravity, and the force that helps a plane counter is called lift.
Lift is generated when a solid object deflects the flow of some fluid (such as air). The propeller of the plane moves it forward, and its aerodynamic body deflects the air in its way. The air is divided into two halves, one moving on top of the plane, and the other below it. Thus, lift is created.
As soon as this upward force (or lift) experienced by the airplane exceeds the gravitational force pulling the plane downwards, it takes flight.
But what exactly creates this lift?
Well, there’s a simple principle known as Bernoulli’s principle that can explain this phenomenon. When the plane splits a stream of air into two, it splits it in such a way that the top half has to travel faster than the lower half in order for the two halves to meet again.
Since faster-moving air has less pressure than slow-moving air, the difference in pressure on the top and on the bottom is compensated by the creation of lift.
Lift is generated by every part of the plane, but it is concentrated around its two wings. Thus you can see how crucial the wings of an airplane are in order for it to maintain flight.
Technically, a plane may glide even if both its propellers are shut down. But if a wing gets broken, the plan will most likely crash. The balance would be thrown off, and the plane wouldn’t be able to stay upright long enough to make a safe crash landing.
Why can’t an airplane fly with one wing?
Now let us get into the question at hand.
We’ve discussed how the wings of the airplane generate most of the lift that helps it take flight in the air. The lift, which is an upward force, is thus directed upwards from both wings. But the weight of the aircraft, which results in the downward gravitational force, is located in the middle of the plane’s body.
So while a plane is in flight, the lift on the two wings balances the weight in the middle. This helps maintain the stability of the plane while it is in flight.
Now imagine a scenario where one of the plane’s wings is broken off. The forces would now be concentrated on two points rather than three. With the lift on the remaining wing directed upwards and the body in the middle being pulled downward, you can guess what happens. The plane starts to rotate and loses all balance.
Of course, the pilot may try to maintain balance in some way. Fighter pilots have, in rare instances, managed to land fighter jets that lost a wing while in flight. But fighter planes have a different design compared to regular planes. While most regular planes have to emphasize on symmetry, fighter planes have their weight and lift distributed more asymmetrically.
A very important factor in balancing a plane with just one wing is thrust. Depending on how fast the plane is moving forward, it may rotate less and be easier to balance.
Can bad turbulence break a plane’s wing off?
Another question you might have is, can a plane’s wings break off due to bad turbulence?
Airline turbulences can sometimes feel like the absolute end of the line. But you might be surprised to learn that there has never been a plane crash resulting from bad turbulence. Turbulences are caused by a sudden change in airflow. This can result from a change in the landscape below, rising hot air, or jet streams.
So can a plane’s wing break off during bad turbulence?
The short answer is no. Airplane wings are surprisingly flexible. They are designed so as to support up to 10 degrees of wing flex. For a sturdy metal object, that is a lot of flex. During your typical airline flight, the wings of an airplane can be expected to flex up to 7 degrees.
One cool analogy for understanding wing flex is comparing it to the shock absorbers in your car. Without it, the plane wouldn’t be able to handle all the turbulence.
It is almost impossible for a modern airplane to lose a wing to bad turbulence. And regulatory bodies such as the FAA make sure airplanes are well prepared for the worst before they can enter into service.
As an example of the extreme measures employed by the FAA, one could consider the requirements of a Boeing 787. The FAA requires the 787’s wings to be able to flex 26 feet while the plane is carrying 150% percent of its load capacity!
So, rest assured. The wings of your plane will not break.
Conclusion
It is virtually impossible for airplanes to fly with just one wing. Wings play a huge role in balancing the aircraft. With two wings, there is equal lift generated on each side. If one of the wings is missing, the balance would be disturbed. It would leave a huge weight in the middle of the place and lift on just one side. This would shift the center of gravity of the plane and cause it to topple.
There have been rare instances where pilots have managed to land one-winged aircraft. But these have mostly been fighter aircraft, which have their weight and lift distributed more asymmetrically compared with regular aircraft.
Most modern planes are built to be extremely resilient to bad weather or turbulence. Their wings can flex up to 10 degrees, which makes it virtually impossible for them to break under normal circumstances. Regulatory bodies such as the FAA make sure that planes can pass harsh conditions before they are approved for active service.
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