Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 12

PREFLIGHT WHAT AM I?

BY MIKE COLLINS

SKELETON FOR
YOUR WING
RIBS ARE ELEMENTAL TO AN
AIRCRAFT'S WING STRUCTURE

TYPES OF RIB
CONSTRUCTION

Forged. Forged ribs are
stamped from metal using a
heavy press.

RIBS ARE STRUCTURAL MEMBERS THAT, COMBINED WITH SPARS AND STRINGERS, MAKE UP THE

mike.collins@aopa.org

12  FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2021

Truss. Truss ribs are strong
but lightweight, and can be
complicated to construct.

Nose rib. This partial rib goes
from the leading edge to the
wing's forward spar.

MIKE FIZER

framework or skeleton of a wing. Most ribs extend chordwise from the leading edge of the wing
to the rear spar, or to the trailing edge of the wing. The ribs give a wing its cambered shape, and
they transmit loads from the skin and stringers to the spars. Spars, the wing's primary structural
members, and stringers run spanwise, from the center of the aircraft toward the wing tips.
Sheet metal or fabric wing skins attached to the ribs also play an important role, holding the
wing's proper aerodynamic shape. Skins also carry some of the flight loads and transfer those
stresses to the wing ribs-which, in turn, transfer the loads to the wing spars.
A nose rib is a partial rib that extends only from the leading edge to the wing's forward spar.
A nose rib also might be called a false rib, a term for any rib that does not extend the full chord of
the wing. Depending on the design, a nose rib could be installed between full ribs, for example,
or in front of a fuel tank bay to support the leading edge and ensure it retains the proper shape.
A wing butt rib might be found at the inboard edge of the wing, where it attaches to the fuselage; ribs also may be called bulkheads or compression ribs depending on location or design.
Wing ribs normally are made from metal or wood. Aircraft with metal wing spars typically will have metal ribs, while aircraft with wood wing spars may have wood or metal ribs.
Truss-type ribs frequently are the most efficient wooden ribs, because they are both strong and
lightweight, but truss ribs also are the most complicated to build. Similar ribs will be found in
ailerons, elevators, rudders, and stabilizers.



Flight Training - March/April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March/April 2021

Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Intro
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Cover1
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Cover2
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 2
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 3
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 4
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 5
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 6
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 7
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 8
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 9
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 10
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 11
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 12
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 13
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 14
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 15
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 16
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 17
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 18
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 19
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 20
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 21
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 22
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 23
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 24
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 25
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 26
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 27
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 28
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 29
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 30
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 31
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 32
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 33
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 34
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 35
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 36
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 37
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 38
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 39
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 40
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 41
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 42
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 43
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 44
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 45
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 46
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 47
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 48
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 49
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 50
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 51
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 52
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 53
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 54
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 55
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 56
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Cover3
Flight Training - March/April 2021 - Cover4
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