Vingspann

Vingspann, or wingspan, is the distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the opposite wing when the wings are fully extended. It is a standard measurement used in both biology and aviation to express the size and potential flight performance of an organism or aircraft.

In biology, wingspan is a key metric for birds, bats, and other flying animals. It varies widely among species and is related to flight style and ecology. Small songbirds may have wingspans of a few centimeters, while large seabirds reach several meters. The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) has one of the longest known wingspans among living birds, about 3.3 to 3.5 meters.

In aviation, wingspan describes the width of an aircraft’s wing structure. A longer wingspan generally allows a higher lift-to-drag ratio, better cruise efficiency, and greater stability for long, gliding flight; but it also increases structural weight and the footprint required for storage and ground handling. Small general aviation aircraft typically have wingspans around 7 to 12 meters, while large airliners commonly range from 60 to 80 meters. The record for a fixed-wing aircraft is the Stratolaunch Roc, with a wingspan of about 117 meters.

Measurement conventions can vary: some sources include winglets within the wingspan, others measure to the outermost wingtips. Wingspan is often discussed alongside wing area and aspect ratio to describe lift characteristics. Vingspann thus functions as a fundamental size descriptor in both natural and engineered flight, with implications for maneuverability, efficiency, and practical handling.