The lift of the wing acts at which point?

• A. Center of Pressure
• B. Center of Gravity
• C. Aerodynamic Center
• D. Spanwise location

Answer: (A)

The lift force can be treated as a single resultant force acting at a specific point on the wing, called the center of pressure. This point is where the entire pressure distribution over the wing can be considered to act, so the net aerodynamic force (lift in the vertical sense, plus drag along the flow) passes through it. The center of pressure isn’t fixed; it moves with changes in angle of attack, airspeed, and wing shape, which is why stability and control considerations focus on how the CP shifts rather than assuming a constant location.

The center of gravity, by contrast, is the aircraft’s weight location and influences balance and stability, not the line of action of the aerodynamic forces. The aerodynamic center is a separate concept: it’s the point about which the moment from the aerodynamic forces stays nearly constant as angle of attack changes. Spanwise location is simply about where along the wing the force acts, and it varies with loading and wing geometry.

So the lift of the wing is associated with the center of pressure.