Warp—To change the shape of something, especially an airplane’s wing, by twisting. To give lift or drop to a wing by twisting it at the ends.
Wind tunnel—A chamber through which air is forced at controlled velocities, up to several thousand miles an hour, and in which airfoils, airplanes, missiles, scale models of airplanes, or other objects are mounted in order to observe and study the airflow about such objects, as well as the aerodynamic effects upon them.
Wingspan—The span of a wing, measured or taken between the tips or outermost extremities of either a single-piece wing or a wing that is separated by other aircraft components.
Wing-warping—The action of warping a wing, or a control system for warping the wings at will.
Yaw—An angular displacement or motion to the left or right about the vertical axis of an airplane.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Gibbs-Smith, C. H., A History of Flying. Frederick A. Praeger, New York, 1954.
Kelly, Fred C. (Ed.), Miracle at Kitty Hawk, the Letters of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Farrar, Straus and Young, New York 1951.
Kelly, Fred C., The Wright Brothers. (A Biography Authorized by Orville Wright.) Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1943.
McFarland, Marvin W. (Ed.), The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, including the Chanute-Wright Letters and other Papers of Octave Chanute. 2 vols., McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1953.