Tapered leading edge,  straight trailing edge Tapered leading and  trailing edges Delta wing Sweptback wings Straight leading and  trailing edges Straight leading edge,  tapered trailing edge Low wing Dihedral High wing Mid wing Gull wing Inverted gull Figure 1-19.  Various wing design shapes yield different performance.  Figure 1-20.  Wing attach points and wing dihedrals. The wings of an aircraft are designed to lift it into the air.  Their particular design for any given aircraft depends on a  number of factors, such as size, weight, use of the aircraft,  desired speed in flight and at landing, and desired rate of  climb. The wings of aircraft are designated left and right,  corresponding to the left and right sides of the operator when  seated in the cockpit.  [Figure 1-21] Often wings are of full cantilever design. This means they  are built so that no external bracing is needed. They are  supported internally by structural members assisted by the  skin of the aircraft. Other aircraft wings use external struts  or wires to assist in supporting the wing and carrying the  aerodynamic and landing loads. Wing support cables and  struts are generally made from steel. Many struts and their Wing Structure 1-11