What is Wingspan?
[[Image:aer.lingus.a320-200.ei-cva.planform.arp.jpg|thumb|The distance A to B is the wingspan of this [[Aer Lingus]] [[Airbus A320]].]] The '''wingspan''' of an [[airplane]] or a [[bird]] is the distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. The wingspan of an aircraft is always measured in a straight line, from wingtip to wingtip, independently of wing shape or [[Swept wing|sweep]]. To measure the wingspan of a bird, a live or freshly dead specimen is placed flat on its back, the wings are grasped at the [[wrist]] joints and ankles, and then the distance is measured between the tips of the longest [[primary feather]]s on each wing. [[Category:Aerospace engineering]] [[Category:Birds]] {{multistub|biology|science}}