Planform

A planform or plan view is a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map.

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In aviation, a planform is the shape and layout of an airplane's wing. Of all the myriad planforms used, they can typically be grouped into those used for low-speed flight, found on general aviation aircraft, and those used for high-speed flight, found on many military aircraft and airliners.

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The primary concern in low speed flight is the aspect ratio, the comparison of the length of the wing measured out from the fuselage, span, compared to the length from front to back, chord. Wings with higher aspect ratios, that is, wings that are longer and skinnier, have lower drag for any given amount of lift than a wing of the same area that is shorter and fatter. This is due to an effect known as induced drag, caused by airflow over the tip of the wing. As the size of the tip decreases compared to the wing's overall size, the magnitude of the induced drag is reduced.

Plan view: A plan view or planform is a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map....

Orthographic projection: This article is about technical drawings. See Orthographic projection (geometry) for linear transformations and Orthographic projection (cartography) for maps. For the language concept, see orthography....

Map: A map is a simplified depiction of a space, a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. Most usually a map is a two-dimensional, geometrically accurate representation of a three-dimensional space. The science and art of map-making is cartography....