Elliptical wing — dimension sheet
Source: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/elliptical-wing/  (sheet CC BY 4.0; files Xem Studio Design License, https://xemstudio.com/license/)
Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
Catalog version: 2026-10-20

Sizes: see table below
- An elliptical span loading gives span efficiency e = 1, the minimum induced drag for a given span; non-elliptical loading has e < 1 and more induced drag (TU Delft AE1101; Kitplanes).
- The Spitfire is the textbook elliptical wing: root chord 100 in, span 445 in, AR 5.67 and S = 242.71 ft^2 (Leishman, ERAU).
- Curved edges are harder to build than a straight taper, which is why a 0.45 taper is often used to approximate elliptical loading (arXiv 1801.02938 citing Torenbeek).
- Used on: Supermarine Spitfire.
- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

parameter  value or range  source
Span efficiency, elliptical loading  e = 1 (minimum induced drag)  TU Delft AE1101
Induced drag  CDi = CL^2 / (pi AR e)  TU Delft AE1101
Spitfire root chord / span  100 in / 445 in  ERAU (Leishman)
Spitfire AR / area  5.67 / 242.71 ft^2  ERAU (Leishman)
Reference build  span 1000 mm, root 225 mm (Spitfire proportions scaled)  computed

Files elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):
- TU Delft OpenCourseWare: AE1101 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering, Aerodynamics 6 — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://ocw.tudelft.nl/wp-content/uploads/AE1101-Aero-6.pdf
- Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles: Wing Shapes and Nomenclature — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/
- Kitplanes (B. Wainfan): Design Process: Planform Effects on Span Loading and Drag (2020) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://www.kitplanes.com/design-process-planform-effects-on-span-loading-and-drag/
- arXiv 1801.02938 (citing Torenbeek, Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design, 1976): Systematic design methodology for a variable pitch quadrotor biplane VTOL UAV — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.02938

Free files (Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio; STEP + STL, 1 parts): https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/elliptical-wing/index.json
API: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=elliptical-wing