DRAG

As an aircraft passes through the air, the air offers

a resistance to the passage.
This resistance, is known as ‘Drag’.
(Resistance to forward motion)
The total amount of drag on an aircraft is made
up of many types of drag forces.
• Common type of drag:-
i. Form drag
ii. Parasite drag
iii. Induced drag

DRAG
 DRAG
RESISTANCE TO FORWARD MOTION

DRAG
 FORM DRAG
Caused by the shape or form of the aircraft
• Reducing form drag
• Streamlining – aircraft shaped to produce least
resistance to the airflow
• For least resistance  object length between 3-4
times greater than maximum thickness
• Fineness ratio – ratio between length and maximum
thickness

DRAG
 PARASITE DRAG
 A combination of many different drag forces
 Any exposed object on an aircraft offers some
resistance to the airflow, and the more objects in
the airstream, the more parasite drag
Reducing parasite drag
• reducing the number of exposed parts to as few as
practical and streamlining their shape.

DRAG
 Streamlining

• Fixed landing gear

 SKIN FRICTION DRAG
A type of parasite drag most difficult to reduce
Air particles in contact with surface of the aircraft
Reducing skin friction
glossy flat finishes
eliminating protruding rivet heads, roughness, and other
irregularities.

DRAG
 INDUCED AND TOTAL DRAG
• Lift created by the airfoil also created drag 
induced drag

• Just as lift increases with an increase in angle of

attack, induced drag also increases as the angle of
attack becomes greater.
TOTAL DRAG

DRAG
 THRUST AND WEIGHT
• Thrust is forward force produce by engine
• Determine by size and type use in propulsion
system
• Weight is a mass of aircraft act vertically
downward
• Determined by size and material used in
aircraft
 FORCES ACTING ON AIRCRAFT IN
THRUST FLIGHT
• The aircraft’s propelling force
• Arranged symmetrically to the
centre line
• Act parallel to the line of flight
WEIGHT@ GRAVITY
Acts vertically downwards through
the Centre of Gravity
FORCES ACTING ON AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT
LIFT
Acts at right angle to the line of
flight & through the Centre of
Pressure of the wings
DRAG
• Opposes the forward motion
• Regarded as a rearward acting
force
 LIFT AND DRAG COEFFICIENT
• Theoritical value base on
airfoil shape
Lift = CL x 1/2ρv2 x S
Drag = CD x 1/2ρv2 x S

IDEAL ANGLE
 POLAR CURVE
• Drag Polar is the relationship between the lift
and its drag interm on coefficeient
 STALL

 ‘Sudden lost of lift’

i. Increase AOA – separation moves forward (turbulent)
– Insufficient pressure drop on upper surface  no
pressure differential to create lift
ii. Increase to higher AOA – excessive turbulence
– Drag increase higher than lift created
 Critical Angle of Attack – airflow separate + turbulence
 Critical AOA = 15˚ and above

STALLING
 AIRFOIL CONTAMINATION
• Any contamination on wing will affect its
performance
• Need to provide method to remove the
contamination during flying
• Type of contamination :
– Ice
– Snow
– Frost