The wings on this Airbus flex way more than they should
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters link it to show how much stress airliner wings are designed to withstand, especially in turbulence and crash threads.
What it is
A one-minute clip from Insider showing an Airbus airliner's wings flexing far more than most people expect during a wing load test. It is meant to reassure nervous flyers about turbulence.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2018 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Cites Pyxl101 · 2018-10 · on “Less Turbulence on Delta Flights?”
When I hit turbulence, I just try to keep in mind that airplanes are extremely robust and can handle considerably more turbulence than a typical person might imagine. For example, see how much airplane wings can bend without breaking: [this video]
Cites bparsons · 2024-06 · on “Is Clear Air Turbulence becoming more common?”
Commercial airliners are built for extraordinary stress on the airframe. You can get a taste of it here: [this video] Other people will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the last time a large commercial airliner was lost to turbulence was 1966. [LINK]
Cites mrguyorama · 2025-02 · on “Plane crashes, overturns during landing at Toronto airport”
Nah, an engine getting ripped off will not tear off the wing since this is the level of force and flex they are designed to withstand: [this video] The engines are built to rip off cleanly, because when they don't, they have caused [LINK] and [LINK] which were fairly serious and catastrophic accidents at least partially caused by the engines tearing off and damaging the wing in such a serious manner as to cause a stall and crash. The wings stayed on the aircraft in both instances. Interestingly, both accidents were caused by those same sheer pins being damaged in minor and unpredicted ways. I highly doubt the wing is DESIGNED to cleanly separate. Planes are just very not rigid for something going