A lightly loaded wing with less weight per square foot will offer a faster and tighter turn. But this must be balanced against the extra weight and complexity of a larger wing. Large wings also have more wetted area (the amount of wing meeting the air) so they tend to be detrimental to high speed. You can still go fast with a large wing, it just takes more HP. The simple explanation for the faster and tighter turn is that a larger wing can produce more lift. And the lift divided by the weight gives g-load which is what makes a fighter turn.

Time for an update? The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 2 manuscript is close to hand-in. We've gone in even harder for the second volume, and as much as I love the first book this one is even better. Among many other articles, there are deep dives into the Westland Whirlwind and the Beaufighter with some pretty wild revelations from our team of wild ayahuasca-imbibing aero-engineers. This is just one of many charts that tell the story of World War II fighter development. 

You've kindly suppported this project already but if you wish to tempt friends into this evil cult, we are offering a 15% discount with code WAYSFEST15 for Book 2. Book 1 is currently out of print and hard to get but feel free to approach the author on Twitter @hush_kit as he has a small stash he can sign and send. 

Saab have been very helpful in our work on book, and assisted Andy at Teasel Studio create this artwork of the extremely sexy Saab 1419 'Hulma'. Just look at the thing!