Why don't the wings break?! 

I always thought the wings were quite flexible because we see them shaking and bouncing in flight. But during one of our university class, we got an entire class of about 50 people to stand on a wing of a retired 727 and we all jump to try to bounce it. The thing didn't even budge.

You are an incredible teacher! There is absolutely no reason for me to watch your videos but I became obsessed with your story telling. CAPTIVATING!

About flexing, you can also think about twigs/branches. Take a completely dry, wooden branch, about as thick as your thumb. You'll find it doesn't flex very much, since all "softening" moisture has evaporated. Try to bend it - it'll snap in half pretty quickly at the point of lowest structural integrity. Then take a fresh branch of the same diameter. It's likely flexing a lot. Try to bend it, you'll find it bends a long way before breaking. That is because the forces have been distributed as deformation stress along the whole curved surfaces.

As a country boy from a small town in 1979 I was flying to Germany in the Army on a DC-10. Sitting over the wing watching the thing flap like a sick bird over the ocean, I was terrified. Great video.

my grand mother was a metallurgist, and worked with failure analysis for aircraft, and rockets among other things, and she and her young son (my uncle) were on a flight once and my uncle, a child at the time, was nervous and concerned about the wing flexing, and asked my grandmother, "why do the wings flex" and my grandmother rather nonchalantly said "because if they didn't, they would break".

I knew someone that was working at Boeing in 1994. She was testing the 777 and was so excited when the day came to "break the wings". She said they were calculated to flex to like 32.2 feet (or something insane like that). After she said their calculations were within a few mms of knowing when they would break!

0:37 The dog's reaction afterwards was brilliant, it's almost like he was in on the act. Sort of looked away in shock and took a moment to contemplate what he'd just been told. "Wow, really, anything?"

Japanese saying: If it does not flex, it will break. I´m a pilot myself, as for this I really like your informative uploads, very nice.

Honestly, your vids have taken the edge off my anxiety of plane travel because I have my questions answered! thank you! from Honolulu

While I was in the Air Force, we visited an aircraft manufacturer, building the new fighter. At one point, they were discussing the problem of stress cracks in the wing. A company janitor was nearby and he said that he might have a solution to the problem by drilling a line of small holes along the suspected crack line. He said that, in his experience, the toilet paper never tore along the dotted line.

There have been many stories of US-based airlines having cozy relationships with their FAA inspectors, and then getting away with dangerous, even disastrous practices. The one that springs to mind is Chalks, but I know there are others. Has the FAA ever done anything to change that systemic problem? Rotating inspectors to different airlines? When an inspector works with the same mechanics for years, their relationship changes. They become more like coworkers.

8:48 "but I can promise you that you never felt -1 g, because that's a lot". Ryanair pilot: hold my beer

Thanks for the explanation. I remember the first time I noticed the wings bounce - I was so scared, but I was later told that the wings would break off if they weren't flexing, which helped a lot (although not with my fear of flying). Hearing this video was even more helpful to me.

If you were not a pilot, I think you would make an outstanding teacher. Very informative and you make the complex easier to understand.

I absolutely love your dog... Thank you for the detailed description of wings! I fly a few times a year. I'm currently in a YT rabbit hole about airplanes and crashes. I don't know anything about physics, aviation or the like. You are a very skilled teacher...thank you again!

YOU MISSED ONE VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL : Vibrations always move in the direction of least resistance/mass. With the wing ends thinner and more narrow. This puls vibrations away from the wing base as well as the fuselage. Just like radio towers that are not guyed, they are tapered, smaller as you go up, and for the same reasons. Personally, I am GLAD to see the wing ends vibrate since those forces are being transmitted away from the craft.

Weird flex, but okay.

It's "Time To Worry" when you observe the LEFT side wing through the RIGHT side window. (or Vice-Versa.) Wings can ONLY do that ONCE.

I rarely ever fly. I've just been listening daily lately to pass time at work. That being said, the way he speaks and explains has given me unusual amounts of retention to most everything he's covered. I almost feel like I'm becoming as qualified as anyone on board would be to land an airliner in an emergency situation. God help us if it came to that though.

I'm a nervous flyer. I dont show it and get in the plane without any problems and its all in my head, plus fear of heights. Watching your videos you do really help me and your one nicest people on the Internet. Love 💘 u xxx thankyou

Personally my favorite part of watching 787s and 350s takeoff is the wing flex. It's beautiful, looks just like a large bird gliding gently and gracefully off the ground. Wish I lived somewhere I could watch them rotate more often!

You are an excellent teacher with hand movements and facial expressions that are perfectly in sync to emphasize the instruction, which help us keep our attention focused. Thank you!

Thanks for going over this. As someone that has to fly frequently for work, I understand abstractly that flying is very safe, but often my anxiety disagrees. Knowing the nuts and bolts of why the wing is not, in fact, about to tear off of the aircraft helps put me a lot more at ease.

As an aerospace/outerspace machinist. I appreciate the metallurgy call out, and the actual performance of these materials in the final assembly.

The dog is wondering who is he talking with?

I'd been fortunate to have flown for the first time after watching this channel, so maybe that stopped me being afraid of it. The first time I saw the wings flapping around like that I found it mesmerizing rather than terrifying. I also see the 747s and A380s daily at work and the amount the wings flex during takeoff looks insane from the ground.

I really appreciate your concise and articulate speaking in all of your videos. Even your home setting set is very professional. I am from Newfoundland, Canada, and a huge proton of our people are of Irish descent. Your accent is easy on the ears 😊

On my most fun flight as a passenger from ORD to MIA it was on a 727-200B we flew through a CB - They actually flew through thunderstorms back then because planes could actually fly through rain. We encountered some turbulence. The meals flew upwards and people started screaming. The plane dropped for about 15 seconds - I love it! I fly acro now. I noticed the end of the wing tips above the fuselage as the plane was dropping. It was the most fun flight I had. The 727 was one tough plane and one of my favorites. WP

having traveled Lufthansa a few times now, I am so much more relaxed when my pilot sounds just like this guy. And I'm not talking just accent, but choice of words, etc.. I know this is weird, but I would trust this guy on any plane.

I love the Mentour Dog! It is amazing how dogs and their owners are looking similar. In this case, both are with the moustache, both are with the beard and the colour of the hair is similar. I love it!

Thank you for this video. I havent flown in a commercial plane in 20 years and had some concerns and anxiety about flying. Wing flex was one of those concerns. Thank you for alleviating some of my stress.

I use to watch the B52's land at Eglin AFB and loved seeing them actually flap like a birds wing. Looked really sharp.

from 12:20 I just stared at the dog... and it got weirder and weirder

12:09s Once Petter mentions poor maintenance as the only real thing that could lead to wing failure his dog suddenly gets real interested in the rest of the video. Prior to that he was completed tuned out. It's almost like his dog wasn't expecting Petter to have any reasons why airplane wings could fail 😄

8:35 Dog is like “WTF was that? Sounded like 1G.”

When I was a kid I saw a B36 at Barksdale AFB and the wings blew my mind, think of the stress factors involved in that monsters wings, I saw it take off and its something I'll never forget🇺🇸

I don't l know how i came across your channel, but since i have i must have watched every single video back to back, so much information put in such a good video! You would make a good teacher, love it.

the wings on the 787 flex so much more than any other plane i've been on, i've always found that so visually satisfying

Few years ago and it was shown on TV, a plane carrying water for water bombing a fire, both wings went vertical from their position. From your explanation I think that the plane was still full of water and empty wings.

Very good channel ! In my 30 years of flying, mainly in Asia, I experienced a lot of "interesting" situations. I especially recommend flying with Vietnam Airlines through a thunderstorm. These Pilots seemed to come directly out of their Fighter Planes and check, what a Triple Seven can do.

You should trust this man, that dog taught him everything he knows.

Your spoken English and presentation is exceptional. I found this production very immersive and informative, thank you.

I always use to wonder about the wings "not breaking apart" with all that powerful variations of pressure under and above the wings while in the air. After having this very same detailed explanation, I know very well that "wings" are very durable structure of an airplane, which never breaks apart, because of their small sections in every each wing. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!

I love your videos. They’re so interesting and informative. I am a fearful flyer, and your explanations honestly do make me feel a whole lot better for so many reasons. Thank you for presenting these for people like myself.

12:03 I think doggo is nervous about poor maintenance...

I flew very often as a kid with my parents and everytime we got a turbulance, most of the poeple fell uncomfortable...but i had a smile on my face seeing the wings moving up and down :D

I like your videos because you describe in detail some of the things that worry me about flying and you have put my mind at ease considerably! Thanks for making this content and including the images you have to explain flying! Cheers!

Somewhere around 5 years ago I was working at Boeing Renton plant on building a new wing line for the 737. Not far from the area where we were taking our break was the area where they do the wing stress testing for the 737. I think that they were testing the P-8 Poseidon at the time. They use what I think are hydraulics attacked to the wings to work the wings back and forth to simulate the wings moving up and down in the air. Doing this many times they can simulate how the stress on the wing can cause fatigue stress that can cause the material they are made out of break. Some times the angles that they pull the wings to can be quite distressing. I remember looking at it a few times and thinking that I wouldn't want to be flying in a plane whose wings are in that configuration(V). It was both cool and alarming.

I remember flying for the first time at the age of 8years old... We hit moderate turbulence and I seen the wings flex... I thought to my self, "oh crap, the wings are going to fall off"... The turbulence themselves didn't bother me as it felt more like a car on the road... But seeing the wing flex scared me... Now I know that the skin of the aircraft will come apart before the wings fail... Seeing the wing flex almost 45° in that stress test was amazing... Kinda reassuring I recon... PS, love the dog, cute little fella... And his reaction while you were explaining Gforce was priceless... He was like, "really nigga"... Anyway, God bless and keep the blue side up...

I hope you realize how much your videos decrease my anxiety for flying haha

I know this isn't a military channel, but as an example of wing flexing it may be interesting to show the USAF B-52 & U-2. Great channel-thanks Mentor Pilot!

I started watching your videos about 10 hours ago and I've not been able to stop yet. Very informative and entertaining and your descriptions of flight dynamics, engineering and procedures are fascinating. Thank you so much for posting these videos.

This is an amazing channel. After watching videos like the flight channel, I have nothing but the utmost of respect from you pilots. Thanks for keeping us safe, most of us.

Bolts and rivets too! Mentour, I'd like to suggest you a video topic. For a long time I used to wonder why the aircraft manufacturers still use the seemingly outdated rivets to build planes instead of welding. Most other industries phased out rivets a long time ago in favor of welding as it presents many advantages. Maybe you could explain this in a video. Thx and keep up the good work!

Thank you for this series, the thought, research, planning, work, and execution of every one of these episodes. It’s certainly possible that you have saved a life (or many!) with your efforts. God bless you, and all your partners in this enterprise.

I just now stumbled upon your videos and I am loving them. I’m not a pilot but love to fly and have always been captivated by the theory of flight. I have learned so much from you so far…and Ali have only watched 3 or 4 of your videos…up to this point.

Great video. People don't realize how much engineering goes into an aircraft. There are times when something slips through or is allowed to slip through, but this is rare. If known problems are fixed in development, then the manufacturer is doing their job. Allowing a plane into service with known design flaws and no corrective actions taken is inexcusable. That said, most aircraft do undergo rigorous testing and problems are fixed as they are discovered. Aircraft can take a lot of punishment and damage. Hawaiian Airlines B-737 that lost the top and sides of first class cabin is an example. Another example is the damage warbirds like the B-17 took in combat. There are pictures of B-17s with half a wing chewed up or missing that made it back to England. Other B-17s had serious damage to the vertical and or horizontal stabilizers yet landed safely back at their airfield in the UK. Engineering helps, but under such conditions everything then rides on the pilots of the aircraft. So the next time you deplane from the ramp, look out the window from the terminal and see your wing, horizontal stabilizers and vertical stabilize all shot up by angry Albatross*, thank your pilots. They got you home safe. * - No Albatross was harmed in the typing of this comment. I also have no proof that Albatross have been armed with .30 cal or .50 cal machine guns. This is more than likely made up.

Mentour pilot answering the questions you didnt know needing an answer 👍✌ brilliant (not the website)...

maybe you could create a playlist for nervous flyers with more videos about safety in aviation. You sound very confident and calming :)

Mentour Pilot - Unfortunately saw same thing early 90's at G.R., MI. Loaded NWA liner on approach but sitting still w/zero groundspeed encountering vicious downdraft due to microburst. When Capt saw me in orange highway truck drivin' loco pointing at him, he went full gas, gear up, full flaps, slightly nose down, entering elevator to hell. Instantly went straight down flat w/huge smoke & at bottom in woods wings looked like your cover photo. All cabin crew checking seatbelts injured being smushed in ceiling & smashed into floor when wings caught. 1st Ofcr knew he was dead so no help. Liner ravaged, no COM w/cabin, no radios, no autopilot, wing spar fractured in 5 places, tree limbs growing out of belly, and no luck at all...except all survived. Capt gently coaxed liner up flying towards Lansing and on way back came cruising way below minimums alongside I-96 gently waggling wings & waving sheet of paper on side window to say "thanks". Capt classy kind of guy!! He cleared himself for approach-landing-taxyin' pulling off best long landing ever so easy on plane. Pulled up to gate, but no one was around so just parked as per usual but there was no ground crew. 1st Ofcr still sure he was DED, so no help as Capt heard cabin door open and he could hear injured being attended to, 1st Ofcr carted off & passengers disembarked, leaving him all alone. He finished off checklist to shut down aircraft. No Company peeps at or on ramp & Capt wanted look at plane so scooted down small staircase for late luggage, looked back at wings drooping instead in that usual smart vee and knew he was in trouble. Plane pretty beat up with tree limbs extending from belly and knew he was in big trouble. Company could surely prove he was flying below the minimums so was yanking on the bigger tree limbs when GRPD Ofcr snuck up from behind and cuffed him saying he was under arrest for tampering with evidence, leaving scene of accident, and joyriding an airplane. Capt dragged thru terminal empty except for his bewildered deplaned passengers & hauled in front of FAA and Airport Officials for interrogation. FAA Ofcl ordered cuffs removed, then asked shtload of questions few of which he had any answer for. On further review by NTSB they got NWS to certify no windshear or downdraft possible at incident location AND MDOT to certify none of their vehicles near location of incident, so after that thorough investigation, NTSB determined Pilot Error and desire to Joyride Airliner as cause of incident. FAA canceled all of his tickets except those given to him by GRPD, so couldn't even fly home. 1st Ofcr to shook up on day of incident, he rented car for G.R. to Minneapolis/St. Paul and Capt flew back on Company jump seat. Company decided Capt could regain wings by being retrained, check ridden, and recertified by FAA for every type flown by Northwest Orient. He was suspended until then but would be removed from suspension and back on flight status upon promise to never bring up seeing MDOT truck that didn't exist or waggle wings of a Company aircraft at a MDOT driver that did not exist! Fast fwd to Nov '96 when Dad had heart attack on way to FLA from Michigan. Missus & myself drove to Hamilton Indiana to check on folks. Missus drove our van home to Cadillac, and I drove folks to TPA near their Punta Gorda winter home. Near Thanksgiving so tickets to Detroit very expensive. SW Air counter lady saw I was in jam so called God at Love Field Land who okayed small discount that left me $7 for Pilot's Special of hamburger, chips, pickle, tax, and tip at Pilots' Lounge. I landed in Pilots' Lounge at table by wall, ordered, and in came two pair of pilots, one NW and other SW Airlines. They sat right across from me and NW pair was invited by SW pair for knowledge transfer from NW Capt to SW brand new 1st Ofcr. NW Capt began but couldn't remember in what order emergency procedures were accomplished once knew they were in jam. I quietly spoke "Capt you went full gas, gear up, full flaps, nose slightly down, and disappeared in downdraft". Capt reared up, leaned on their table snarling "And just how would you know that?" Replied "I'm the ahole in the orange highway truck you spoke of....here's my I.D."! Capt inspected I.D. saying "I've been looking for you"! We got a nice hard stock dinner napkin and I wrote all the details we discussed on it, and all four pilots witnessed my signature giving Capt all he needed as had done NTSB's job of near aircraft disaster investigation by himself! NTSB reopened investigation, NWS certified it certainly was possible for microburst with attendant downdraft at time of incident, and MDOT certified my truck and time records proved I was at incident location as well. Capt got $300,000 in costs refunded, plus retirement time awarded, and back wages paid as well. NTSB Director had "The Napkin" displayed in front case at D.C. NTSB Headquarters, and when meeting taking place in Auditorium broke for lunch, they couldn't get them back in Auditorium as each clawing their way closer to napkin according to NTSB Investigator that straightened this mess out!! So Capt Mentour, have you ever had a bad day at the cockpit like this poor bloke sittin' in the sun, enjoyin' the view, lucky to be a Pilot, going straight to full blown emergency in less than a second? Inquiring minds want to know!!! Please advise.......

My dad used to fly as a medic on Life-Flight XT which is a fixed wing air ambulance. I remember that he showed me a video when they were returning to base and ended up having to fly through a storm. In the video the wings of the aircraft were dang near flexing to 90 degrees from the turbulence. One of them actually ended up hitting their head on the ceiling during a particularly violent downdraft burst where they lost over 300 ft of altitude in about a second or so. Luckily they were wearing flight helmets at the time. When he showed me the video I was astonished that the aircraft could survive that level of abuse, but he told me that he had actually flown through WORSE storms. After that, seeing the wings flex on commercial airliners never bothered me lol.

Wings flex for the same reason your car has a suspension

Your channel really eases my mind for flying. Thank you and keep up the good work sir.

I have only recently dipped my toe into aviation thanks to you sir. I came across the amazing 787. Amazed by the flex. Thinking. "Man I wish MP had a video on it" here I am :) much love from the flying kangaroo 😊

Aircraft Maintenance here. "Why don't the wings break?!" Because they can bend...

You are the best one. And very clean English. Thank you so much.

Wow!! What a great way to convey a complex topic in an exciting but easy way. I devour all of your videos. So good 👍🏻👍🏻

Love the way you get deep into a Category for us normal people who aren't pilots thank u sir I know more than your average person most likely but it's very good info u give and I love ur vid pod casts

aww he interacted with the doggo today, how cute.

So much information. I actually feel a little safer.

Reasons I watch Mentour pilot 1. I love aviation 2. Great Channel 3. Learning experience 4. The Dog 🐶🐶🐶

Great video! Anytime I run into someone who is afraid to fly and who the wing flex scares, I try to show them a video of the failure test of the wings on a new aircraft. Invariably, the tips are almost touching each other above the plane before they fail. We used to have an annual foot race/walk across the Chesapeake bay (suspension) bridge. Kind of the same thing, quite amazing how much the bridge moves that you might not notice in a car driving across it.

Even wings are flexing these days

I got to the channel a few months ago and I got over most of your videos. It is really nice to see into perspective how the channel evolved from somewhat amateur, educational videos to quite polished ones. I find every video interesting ... I am just an enthusiast with couple of hundred hours on MS Flight simulator :D ... and overall 10 hours above ground in real life.

You make sense. I learned a lot from your vlog. Thank you so much for this amazing information.

I like the artwork on your back wall. You have such a wealth of info!! I am addicted!

If was turbulent and wings were not bending and flexing to be honest I would be worried. Flexing means strength and shock absorbing... not flexing means breakable... that is just my thoughts though. The limits for likes of the B777 series and B787 series the wing tip can flex for more than a couple of meters it is not mm's or cm but meters. Thank you again for another great video Mentour Pilot :)

This video was awesome!! I love aviation, and find videos like this fascinating, and a great way to learn more about aviation. You're definitely a credit to your company and community of those who want to be more knowledgeable on this subject. I think everyone who has fears about flying should see this video. Simply awesome!! Thank you for sharing, have a great day, and safe journeys 👍👍🛫

I remember doing a spar splice in school. Although the spar I made vs the spar in these aircraft are like comparing apples to oranges it's amazing just how much force could be applied to a simple C-channel splice held together with a handful of rivets. I remember watching videos with wings flexing up to 10 feet up or down with no problem but creeps me out real horror show.

Fantastic video and very informative! Really enjoyed watching this and learning a little bit more about aviation.

Flew on a 747 from SEA to MSP back in 94. It was ROUGH as we were climbing out of SEA and I had a great view of the wing through my window seat. My wife (at the time, anyway) was not a fan of the jostling of this huge plane and made it known to me. So...what do I do? I point at this wing as it's flexing and moving like it's a flimsy piece of plastic. She. Was. Not. Impressed.

8:36 Doggo's sleep was interrupted

Thank you for calming my nerves. I flew to Panama from portland,or..had been 37yrs since i flew lol. Thank you. I survived.. panama was great. Much respect to anyone in the aviation profession :) 😃 👏

This is the best youtube educational video i have ever seen in my entire life...

Your dog is so cute...love that s/he is always looking at the camera.

11:30 Yes, wings can break under extraordinary circumstances. But don't worry: Most other parts will come off way earlier.

I've been binging on your videos for a while now and I Just wanted to say that your videos are extremely informative and well made, keep up the great work!

I love that fluffy brown and very calmed co-pilot in the background.

I've been binge watching your videos for the last few days. Such great information! I am personally terrified of flying - which is strange because as a kid, I wanted to be a pilot. During my teenage years I flew a TON - several times a year over the Atlantic, plus between Rome and London often. I am not sure what happened to make me so white knuckle, but I avoid air travel if at all possible - which I have been pretty successful at. You have lots of videos showing how planes are really durable - yet you also show that situations arise, , mistakes are made, and depending on the skill of your pilot - anything could happen. I guess the best I can hope is that the next time I am flying, it's on a properly maintained craft with a knowledgeable pilot such as yourself.

That is without doubt the cutest dog I’ve ever seen!

You are really really a great teacher and share information with full confidence.

Lol @8:36, just priceless how (Pepsi?) the sleeping dog's head pops up off the pillow as Mentour Pilot whistles to describe how he would fly upwards into the roof if suddenly subjected to minus 1G.

Now I can sleep on my flight instead of watching the wings waiting for them to break.

Wow it’s absolutely amazing all the work and brainpower that has gone into and continues to go into getting us in the air and making sure we’re safe!!! I’m in awe of what so many of my fellow mankind can do!!!

Great video explaining this. I was a flight attendant for a major airline and sometimes had concerned passengers when the wings were flexing during turbulence. Love your voice and the Buddha picture in the background 😁

I love your channel. The content is REALLY the best. So enjoyable, and interesting!

I am terrified of flying but I love engineering. His calm technical explanation of how things work is great for reducing fear of flying. Thanks

8:38 mentour pilot whistles... dog: did you want something? Nah back to sleep...

Thank you for the information, this helps with my flying anxiety.

@Mentour Pilot I have always loved flying and have flown in may aircraft from small single engine like the Piper Cub up to the A380 and also a few rotary wings like the Bell Jetranger. I could never afford to do any pilot training, unfortunately. i do remember many decades taking a flight from Sydney to Bathurst across the Blue Mountains (in Australia) in an olf Focker Friendship sitting in the very rear of the aircraft and being ableto see the entire aircraft body twist back and forth. I found it fascinating to be able to see that and it didn't worry me in the least. I have also many times observed the movement of the wings and love to see it. It reassures me as to the beauty of the aircraft and howit's built. Keep up the great work. I'm loving your videos and the way you explain things.