Plain English Meaning

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.

Full 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.

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 , directly affecting lift distribution and .