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Wing loading calculator

Wing loading—exit weight divided by canopy area—has important effects on canopy flight characteristics. Generally speaking, a higher wing loading means all of the following: higher descent rate, higher stall and landing speeds, longer landing distances, less sensitivity to turbulence and wind drift, reduced low-speed maneuverability. A lower wing loading generally means the opposite: lower descent rate, lower stall and landing speeds, shorter landing distances, increased sensitivity to turbulence and wind drift, increased low-speed maneuverability. Density altitude, which can significantly affect the performance of a canopy as well, is often neglected and not taken into account when determining wing loading. For this reason, this tool computes both—your wing loading, and how it comparatively performs in current atmospheric conditions where you are. The physics of this tool is explained in the altitude types article.

You and your wing

Today’s air

How it works. Wing loading is exit weight (weight when fully geared up) divided by canopy area, conventionally expressed in lb/ft². Density enters through canopy aerodynamics: for the same lift, true airspeed scales with the square root of wing loading divided by air density—so thinner air acts on your canopy exactly like a higher loading. The “standard-day-equivalent loading” is the loading that would fly these speeds in standard sea-level air. Density comes from the full three-step form, the same used in our density altitude calculator (your conditions carry over). Current weather is the latest METAR observation from NOAA’s Aviation Weather Center—an observation; we never use a forecast in these tools.

This tool is provided purely for informational purposes and makes no recommendations regarding canopy choice. Nothing here is a substitute for proper training by certified instructors. See, for example, the United States Parachute Association's Integrated Student Program, described in the Skydiver's Information Manual; for more advanced canopy-flight instruction, see, for example, AXIS Flight School.