quest

Sign in to start training

quest keeps your progress, streaks, and scores tied to your account — so you can pick up on any device.

Synced everywhere. Progress follows you across laptop and phone.

Streaks & stats. See your daily run and every score over time.

Your profile. A name and avatar for the work you do here.

We only use Google to sign you in and sync progress. No posting, no contacts — ever.

Aerodynamics Intermediate

03 Drag

Lift never comes alone. Part of the drag bill is the price of pushing any shape through air; the rest is the price of the lift itself. The two families behave oppositely as speed changes, and that opposition shapes how every aircraft is flown, from best-glide speed to why airliners cruise where they do.

Step 1 / 2

Explain the two families of drag: parasite and induced. Where does each come from, how does each change as the aircraft flies faster in level flight, and why does their difference create a speed of minimum total drag?

Hints

Parasite drag is the cost of shape and skin. It rides on dynamic pressure, so it grows with V² .
The figure shows where induced drag is born. Ask what happens to that tip leakage when level flight needs less C_L .
One curve rises with speed, the other falls. Add them and look for the bottom.