Here are the advantages and disadvantages of different wing planform you can see in various aircraft.
| WING PLANFORM | ADVANTAGE | DISADVANTAGE |
| Delta Wing | It provides a good deal of storage space for fuel The engines may be buried, with consequent reduction in drag Has a low aspect ratio which raises the critical Mach number It tends to reduce the likelihood of tip-stalling | Low aspect ratios provide significant induced drag. Due to its large wing area, the wind loading is low. To achieve high lift, very high incidence is required Pilots experience poor range of vision in the landing and take-off attitudes |
| Swept Wing | It is a great asset in increasing the critical Mach number It has an excellent aerodynamic efficiency | It has a low aspect ratio which increases the induced drag at high incidence It has a poor lateral control It experienced tip-stalling |
| Crescent Wing | tip-stalling is reduced The construction reduces the tendency of the wing to twist and bend under large uploads The lateral control at high speeds is improved | It suffers from much greater induced drag It has a lack of room for fuel and storage of the landing gear |
| M and W Wing | It intends to reap the benefits of sweepback without experiencing great penalty It ensures that the tip is not situated fat aft of the aircraft center of gravity | There is no attempt to avoid tip stalling Lateral control would still be difficult |
What are the important properties of supersonic airfoils?
In designing high-speed subsonic airfoil sections, high subsonic airfoils tend to have lower thickness-chord ratios, smaller leading-edge radii of curvature, and maximum thickness points further aft than in the case of conventional low-speed sections. The following are the properties of supersonic airfoils and their functions:
- The airfoil should be as thin as possible to minimize flow deviations. The leading edge should be sharp to ensure bow shock attachment at low supersonic speeds.
- The half chord of the airfoil should be with the maximum thickness to achieve low drag. It gives expansions behind the maximum thickness point.
- The supersonic airfoil is symmetrical because positive camber results in a positive zero-lift incidence. Also, the camber effectively increases drag during low speed. These important properties of the supersonic airfoil design of the section help to delay the change to transonic flow until a higher free stream Mach number is reached.