Key Wing
Arleen Smelko
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expressed as its lift-to-drag ratio. The lift a wing generates at a given speed and angle of attack can be one to two orders of magnitude greater than the total drag on the wing. A high lift-to-drag ratio requires a significantly smaller thrust to propel the wings through the air at sufficient lift.
Lifting structures used in water include various foils like hydrofoils. Hydrodynamics is the governing science, rather than aerodynamics. Applications of underwater foils occur in hydroplanes, sailboats, and submarines.
For many centuries, the word "wing", from the Old Norse vngr,[1] referred mainly to the foremost limbs of birds (in addition to the architectural aisle). But in recent centuries the word's meaning has extended to include lift producing appendages of insects, bats, pterosaurs, boomerangs, some sail boats, and inverted airfoils on race cars that generate a downward force to increase traction.
The design and analysis of the wings of aircraft is one of the principal applications of the science of aerodynamics, which is a branch of fluid mechanics. In principle, the properties of the airflow around any moving object can be found by solving the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid dynamics. However, except for simple geometries, these equations are notoriously difficult to solve and simpler equations are used.[2]
For a wing to produce lift, it must be oriented at a suitable angle of attack. When that occurs, the wing deflects the airflow downwards as it passes the wing. Since the wing exerts a force on the air to change its direction, the air must also exert an equal and opposite force on the wing.[3][4][5][6]
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the shape of a wing, blade (of a propeller, rotor, or turbine), or sail (as seen in cross-section). Wings with an asymmetrical cross section are the norm in subsonic flight. Wings with a symmetrical cross section can also generate lift by using a positive angle of attack to deflect air downward. Symmetrical airfoils have higher stalling speeds than cambered airfoils of the same wing area[7] but are used in aerobatic aircraft[8] as they provide practical performance whether the aircraft is upright or inverted. Another example comes from sailboats, where the sail is a thin membrane with no path-length difference between one side and the other.[9]
For flight speeds near the speed of sound (transonic flight), airfoils with complex asymmetrical shapes are used to minimize the drastic increase in drag associated with airflow near the speed of sound.[10] Such airfoils, called supercritical airfoils, are flat on top and curved on the bottom.[11]
In nature, wings have evolved in insects, pterosaurs, dinosaurs (birds, Scansoriopterygidae), and mammals (bats) as a means of locomotion. Various species of penguins and other flighted or flightless water birds such as auks, cormorants, guillemots, shearwaters, eider and scoter ducks, and diving petrels are avid swimmers using their wings to propel themselves through water.[17]
In 1948, Francis Rogallo invented a kite-like tensile wing supported by inflated or rigid struts, which ushered in new possibilities for aircraft.[18] Near that time, Domina Jalbert invented flexible un-sparred ram-air airfoiled thick wings. These two new branches of wings have been since extensively studied and applied in new branches of aircraft, especially altering the personal recreational aviation landscape.[19]
On June 14, 2012 the 4th Fighter Wing achieved another first when Col. Jeannie Leavitt took command of the wing and became the first female to command an active duty Air Force fighter wing. Leavitt is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours, including over 300 combat hours. Her operational experiences include Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. She served as the 4th Fighter Wing commander for two years.
Minot is headquarters for the 91st Missile Wing, one of the Air Force's three operational missile units. Minuteman missiles allow the wing to achieve its mission: to defend the nation with a combat-ready nuclear force. Consisting of three groups -- the 91st Operations Group, 91st Maintenance Group and 91st Security Forces Group -- the 91st Missile Wing has approximately 1,800 professionals working together to keep these missiles on alert.
The 91st Operations Group is the operational backbone of the 91st Missile Wing, with its mission to defend the United States with safe and secure Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) -- ready to immediately put bombs on target. Through its four squadrons, the group remains a key facet of our nation's deterrent force. The four squadrons assigned to the group are the 740th, 741st, 742nd Missile Squadrons, and the 91st Operations Support Squadron.
The 91st Security Forces Group provides command and control for four squadrons -- the 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron, 891st Missile Security Forces Squadron, 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron and 91st Missile Security Operations Squadron -- for the active defense of assets vital to national security. The 91st Security Forces Group ensures security forces are trained, organized and equipped to secure 150 Minuteman III missiles and launch facilities and 15 missile alert facilities geographically separated throughout 8,500 square miles of the missile complex. All security support, including anti-terrorism, physical security measures and response forces for the 91st Missile Wing, are provided by the 91st Security Forces Group.
This database holds fact sheets on Travis Air Force Base weapons, organizations, inventory, careers and equipment. Air Force fact sheets contain up to date information and statistics. If a fact sheet is not listed, please contact the 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office at 60a...@us.af.mil.
The 60th Air Mobility Wing is the largest air mobility organization in terms of personnel in the Air Force with a versatile all-jet fleet of C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft and KC-10 Extender refueling aircraft. As the host unit of Travis Air Force Base, Calif., the wing controls more than $11 billion in total resources, including 6,455 acres, 403 buildings and about 1,320 military family housing units. It handles more cargo and passengers than any other military air terminal in the United States. Travis is the West Coast terminal for aeromedical evacuation aircraft returning sick or injured patients from the Pacific area.
Part of the Air Mobility Command, the 60th AMW is responsible for strategic airlift and air refueling missions circling the globe. The unit's primary roles are to provide rapid, reliable airlift of American fighting forces anywhere on earth in support of national objectives and to extend the reach of American and allied air power through mid-air refueling. Wing activity is primarily focused in the Pacific and Indian Ocean area, including Alaska and Antarctica. However, the 60th AMW crews can fly support missions anywhere in the world to fulfill its motto of being "America's First Choice" for providing true Global Reach.
The wing maintains a work force of approximately 7,063 active-duty military and 3,268 civilian personnel, including personnel from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, more than 3,078 reservists assigned to the associate 349th AMW combine with their active duty and civilian counterparts to form a fully integrated total force team. The massive Travis work force makes an economic impact in the local community of more than $4.5 million daily.
The 60th AMW is organized into four groups: Operations, Maintenance, Mission Support and Medical. Additionally, the wing commander has the support of 17 staff agencies.
The 60th AMW staff is made up from a variety of functions. These functions include command section administration, legal, plans and programs, safety, command and control, chapel, public affairs, equal opportunity office, protocol, manpower and quality, information protection, treaty compliance, history and the museum.
The 60th Operations Group is responsible for four flying squadrons -- the 21st Airlift Squadron which fly the C-17 Globemaster III and 22nd Airlift Squadron which fly the C-5M Super Galaxy, and the 6th and 9th Refueling Squadrons which fly the KC-10 Extender. The 60th Operations Support Squadron handles such functions as weather, airfield management, training and scheduling.
In 2020, the 60th OG supported 2,700 missions, 5,500 sorties, 25,000 flight hours, transported 2,900 personnel and transported 10,500 tons of cargo.
The 60th Maintenance Group meets the responsibility of aircraft maintenance with the 60th Maintenance Squadron, 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 60th Aerial Port Squadron. These five squadrons are comprised of over 2,200 military and civilian personnel.
The 60th Mission Support Group leads six units and is comprised of more than 1700 civilian and military personnel. It includes the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 60th Contracting Squadron, 60th Communications Squadron, 60th Security Forces Squadron, the 60th Force Support Squadron, and the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron. They are responsible for mission readiness, aerial port operations and the day-to-day activities which help Travis run like its own city.
The 60th Medical Group manages DGMC and is composed of seven squadrons: the 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, 60th Dental Squadron, 60th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron, 60th Inpatient Squadron, 60th Medical Operations Squadron, 60th Medical Support Squadron and 60th Surgical Operations Squadron.
David Grant USAF Medical Center is a state-of-the-art medical facility that was completed in 1988. The 60th Medical Group at David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center is at the forefront of military and regional healthcare facilities. Named after Maj. Gen. (Dr.) David Norvell Walker Grant, the first air surgeon of the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, DGMC is the flagship of 75 military treatment facilities in the Air Force Medical Service. It provides a full spectrum of care to a prime service area of more than 130,000 TRICARE eligible patients in the immediate San Francisco-Sacramento vicinity and 500,000 Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System patients, covering more than 40,000 square miles and 17 counties. A staff of more than 2,400 military and civilian personnel work at David Grant USAF Medical Center.