When designing the first airplane, the Wrights knew that the shape of the wing cross-section, known as the “airfoil,” was important. Others had already shown that curved wings generated more lift than flat ones. Most had used a perfect arc, with the high point of the curve in the middle (shown top). The Wrights placed the high point of the curve much closer to the wing’s leading edge and made the depth of curvature fairly shallow (shown bottom). They believed this would reduce the movement of the center of pressure, making the aircraft more stable and easier to control.