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Wing twist is an aerodynamic feature added to aircraft wings to adjust lift distribution along the wing.. Often, the purpose of lift redistribution is to ensure that the wing tip is the last part of the wing surface to stall, for example when executing a roll or steep climb; it involves twisting the wingtip a small amount downwards in relation to the rest of the wing.
Washout is commonly achieved by designing the wing with a slight twist, reducing the angle of incidence from root to tip, and therefore causing a lower angle of attack at the tips than at the roots. This feature is sometimes referred to as geometrical washout, to distinguish it from aerodynamic washout.
An aerodynamic twist can be introduced to the wing with the leading edge near the wing tip twisted downward. This is called washout and causes the wing root to stall before the wing tip. This makes the stall gentle and progressive. Since the stall is delayed at the wing tips, where the ailerons are, roll control is maintained when the stall begins.
A raised aileron reduces lift on that wing and a lowered one increases lift, so moving the aileron control in this way causes the left wing to drop and the right wing to rise. This causes the aircraft to roll to the left and begin to turn to the left. Centering the control returns the ailerons to the neutral position, maintaining the bank angle ...
Spoiler controls can be used for roll control (outboard or mid-span spoilers) or descent control (inboard spoilers). Some aircraft use spoilers in combination with or in lieu of ailerons for roll control, primarily to reduce adverse yaw when rudder input is limited by higher speeds.
Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft or kite. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers , consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions.
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The non-planar wing tip is often swept back like a raked wingtip and may also be combined with a winglet. A winglet is also a special case of a non-planar wingtip. [citation needed] Aircraft designers employed mostly planar wing designs with simple dihedral after World War II, prior to the introduction of winglets.