Wire—A wire is, in Aeronautics, always known by the name of its function.
Wire, Lift or Flying—A wire opposed to the direction of lift, and used to prevent a surface from collapsing upward during flight.
Wire, Anti-lift or Landing—A wire opposed to the direction of gravity, and used to sustain a surface when it is at rest.
Wire, Drift—A wire opposed to the direction of drift, and used to prevent a surface from collapsing backwards during flight.
Wire, Anti-drift—A wire opposed to the tension of a drift wire, and used to prevent such tension from distorting the framework.
Wire, Incidence—A wire running from the top of an interplane strut to the bottom of the interplane strut in front of or behind it. It maintains the “stagger” and assists in maintaining the angle of incidence. Sometimes termed “stagger wire.”
Wire, Bracing—Any wire holding together the framework of any part of an aeroplane. It is not, however, usually applied to the wires described above unless the function performed includes a function additional to those described above. Thus, a lift wire, while strictly speaking a bracing wire, is not usually described as one unless it performs the additional function of bracing some well-defined part such as the undercarriage. It will then be said to be an “undercarriage bracing lift wire.” It might, perhaps, be acting as a drift wire also, in which case it will then be de-scribed as an “undercarriage bracing lift-drift wire.” It should always be stated whether a bracing wire is (1) top, (2) bottom, (3) cross, or (4) side. If a “side bracing wire,” then it should be stated whether right- or left-hand.
Wire, Internal Bracing—A bracing wire (usually drift or anti-drift) within a surface.
Wire, Top Bracing—A bracing wire, approximately horizontal and situated between the top longerons of fuselate, between top tail booms, or at the top of similar construction.
Wire, Bottom Bracing—Ditto, substituting “bottom” for “top.”