Flying wires

Flying wires
Flying wires of a de Havilland Tiger Moth

The flying wires of an aircraft work in conjunction with other wing components such as spars and interplane struts to transmit flight loads. Most commonly used on biplane aircraft they are also used on monoplanes and triplanes.

Purpose

Strictly the flying wires (or lift wires) are those that carry lifting loads whereas the landing wires support the weight of the mainplanes on the ground and as the name suggests, the inertial forces that are often encountered on landing.^[1] Both are sets of diagonal wires within each of the bays defined by the interplane struts. Lift forces distort each bay upwards on its outer edge so the diagonal that runs outwards from bottom to top planes increases in length; thus the flying wires that resist this distortion run along this diagonal and the landing wires along the other.^[2]

Flying wires also serve to maintain dihedral and angle of incidence by lengthening or shortening individual wires using turnbuckles or threaded end fittings. The initial setting or in-service adjustment of these angles, usually with the help of a clinometer and plumb-bob, is known as 'rigging'.^[3] The wires may be lengths of simple stranded cable, aerofoil sectioned steel or piano wire. Thinner wires found between the interplane struts are known as incidence wires.^[4]

See also

• Wing warping

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• magazineFlight1930 article on flying wires from