Wing Loading Calculator

Determine the wing loading parameter to kick-start your aircraft design process using the wing loading calculator.

Wing loading696.151 N/m²70.988 kg/m², 14.539 lb/ft²

All-up weight11.2776 kN

Wing area16.2 m²174.38 ft²

Aspect ratio7.0673span² ÷ area — higher means a longer, narrower wing and less induced drag

Mean chord1.514 m

Stall speed at sea level26.653 m/s95.9 km/h, 51.8 knots

Stall speed relation√(2W/S ÷ ρCl)stall speed goes as the square root of wing loading, so 21% more weight raises it by 10%

At 10% more mass27.953 m/s4.88% faster

Lift coefficient needed at that stall speed1.4497achievable

Lift at that speed11.2776 kNequal to the weight, by definition of stalling in level flight

What wing loading buysslow flight and short field performancehigh loading means a smoother ride in turbulence and a higher cruise, at the cost of longer runways; low loading is the opposite

The formula

wing loading = weight ÷ wing area

The number that sets stall speed

Wing loading is weight divided by wing area, and it is the single most informative figure about how an aircraft behaves. Stall speed depends on it directly, through a square root: quadrupling the wing loading doubles the stall speed.

That square-root relationship is why weight matters less to stall speed than people expect — 21% extra mass raises stall speed by only 10% — and also why it matters more than it looks, since landing distance goes as the square of the approach speed and so scales directly with the extra weight.

High wing loading gives a smoother ride through turbulence, because the same gust produces a smaller acceleration on a heavier-loaded wing, and it suits high cruise speeds. Low wing loading gives short take-off and landing, slow safe flight, and a bumpier ride. Gliders and bush aircraft sit at one end, airliners and fast jets at the other.

The stall figures here assume sea-level standard density. At altitude, or on a hot day, the true airspeed at stall rises even though the indicated airspeed does not.