#Real Wings Real wings, living in the real world, don't have access to magic to maintain their necessary pitch. They have to be built from available materials instead of ideal ones, and they need to contend with slipping through a fluid that adds drag. For these reasons and probably many more, they have a clever shape.

Real Wings

Real wings, living in the real world, don't have access to magic to maintain their necessary pitch. They have to be built from available materials instead of ideal ones, and they need to contend with slipping through a fluid that adds drag. For these reasons and probably many more, they have a clever shape.

I believe this must similarly apply for real aircraft. Further support that cheap lift is available comes from engineless gliders, parachutes, and sycamore leaves.

You could probably summarise their function as being a parachute that is rigid enough to push through the air :-) Further support that cheap lift is available comes from engineless gliders, sycamore leaves, and dandelion seeds.

Obviously, everything here is grossly simplified. I'm not claiming the tiny amount of maths here is useful for modelling reality and would be extremely surprised if it is! I am claiming that by working with a very simplified model, you can see that an airplane's wings achieve something that thrust alone does not. I believe this would similarly apply for real aircraft.

Obviously, everything here is grossly simplified. 

I'm not claiming the tiny amount of maths here is useful for modelling reality and would be extremely surprised if it is! Nor am I claiming the lift producing mechanism of a real wing works in this way (presumably, it works better).

However, I am claiming that by working with an extremely simplified model, you can see that an airplane's wings achieve something that thrust alone does not. They provide an extremely "cheap" source of lift that would otherwise require much more of the thrust to be diverted downwards. 

I believe this must similarly apply for real aircraft. Further support that cheap lift is available comes from engineless gliders, parachutes, and sycamore leaves.