Definition
In a turn, the wing on the outside of the curved flight path — the wing farther from the center of the turn. Because it travels along a larger arc than the inboard wing, it moves through the air faster and produces more lift during the turn.
Plain English
The wing on the far side of the turn — the one sweeping around the outside of the curve. It travels a longer path than the wing on the inside, so it moves faster through the air.
Context Anchor
Seen in turn-radius discussions when comparing the wing on the outside of a turn with the wing on the inside of the turn.
Derivation
‘Outboard’ comes from nautical use, meaning ‘toward the outside of the vessel.’ In aviation it carries the same idea — the wing positioned on the outer side of whatever the airplane is doing, in this case the outer side of the turn.
Why Pilots Care
In a turn the outboard wing travels a longer path at higher speed, directly affecting lift distribution and stall margin.
Grounding Statement
In a left turn, the right wing is the outboard wing because it is on the outside of the curved path.
Intuition Check
Outboard wing does not mean a separate outer section of the wing here. In this turn discussion, it means the whole wing on the outside of the turn.
Example Sentence 1
In a steep left turn, the right wing is the outboard wing and produces more lift than the left.
Example Sentence 2
During a stall recovery the outboard wing may unstall first because it is moving faster than the inboard wing.