Definition
A wing planform with no sweep and a constant chord from root to tip, producing a uniform rectangular shape when viewed from above. On a regular wing, the wing root tends to stall before the wingtip, which preserves aileron effectiveness during the early stages of a stall.
Plain English
A straight, rectangular wing — the same width all the way from where it joins the fuselage out to the tip, with no backward angle. When this wing starts to stall, the inner part near the body loses lift first, while the outer part still flies, so the pilot keeps roll control a little longer.
Context Anchor
Seen when studying wing planform, which is the wing’s shape as viewed from above.
Derivation
‘Regular’ here is used in its older sense of ‘uniform’ or ‘unchanging in shape’ — from the Latin regula, meaning a straight rule or measuring stick. It points to the wing’s straight, even outline rather than implying it is the ‘normal’ or ‘standard’ wing.
Why Pilots Care
A regular wing gives even lift along the span and simple stall behavior, though it produces more induced drag than tapered wings.
Intuition Check
Regular does not mean legally approved, scheduled, or automatically safer here. It means a normal, conventional wing shape used as a baseline for comparison.
Example Sentence 1
The trainer’s regular wing gave clear stall warning at the root while the ailerons still responded near the tips.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots compared the regular wing to a swept design to see how each affects roll rate.