Do airplanes need wings?
Do airplanes need wings?



Wait a minute! Airplanes have to have wings by FAA regulation, so you won't find any airplane without wings in the US.

FAA definition:


  Airplane. An engine-driven fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air, that
  is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its
  wings.


My advice here: If you encounter an airplane without wings (an unapproved case) do only your duty, call FAA immediately at 866-TELL-FAA (866-835-5322):


(Source)


Aircraft on the other hand has benefited from FAA's leniency, and don't have to have wings:


  Aircraft. A device that is used or intended to be used for flight in
  the air.


As you can see, they are not required to have an engine, nor large rocks in the cargo hold to ensure they are still heavier than air. No, the only requirements for an aircraft are that:


At the beginning you intend to make the thing fly. It's perfectly legal to try to see if you could save wings from the bill, as long as you are honestly expecting it to fly.
You want it to fly in the air, not in the water, certainly not in the vacuum of the space. That's the part requiring all your attention during the design. The lift must be carefully monitored, you need to remain in this tiny layer called atmosphere, else you leave the aircraft category, and maybe the aviation field too.


This is a wingless aircraft:


Full scale Lippisch's Aerodyne, a VTOL aircraft built at Collins (Source)

This one is fully in the law, don't call FAA...



It's certainly a stupid answer, I did my best for, but it's correct :-)