The
chord line of an
airfoil is the straight line between the
leading and
trailing edges. Its length, referred to as the
chord, is the width of the
wing.
overhead view of a wing:
_________________________
| | |
| |chord |
| |line |
|_____________|___________|
airfoils are usually shown in profile, something like this:
(curved line corresponding to upper surface)
/
leading edge (---------------chord line---------------------> trailing edge
\
(curved line corresponding to lower surface)
In a
symmetric wing, the
chord line corresponds to the
mean camber line.
See also: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/geom.html for wing geometry definitions.
Inspired by a look at my nodeshells.