Definition
On a canard-configured aircraft, the forward wing is a lifting surface mounted ahead of the main wing. It carries part of the aircraft's weight and also provides pitch control, stalling before the main wing so the nose drops and recovery occurs naturally.
Plain English
A small wing placed at the front of the aircraft, ahead of the main wing. It helps lift the airplane and controls the up-and-down angle of the nose.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of canard aircraft, tandem-wing aircraft, and unusual aircraft layouts.
Why Pilots Care
It affects how the aircraft balances and responds to pitch inputs in these configurations.
Intuition Check
Do not read “forward wing” as the front part of a normal wing. Here it means a separate lifting surface located forward of the main wing.
Example Sentence 1
The Beech Starship's forward wing provided lift and pitch control, replacing the traditional horizontal stabilizer at the tail.
Example Sentence 2
In this design the forward wing helps keep the nose stable during cruise.