Lesson 3 of 7 — Module 2
2.1 — Drag Types & The Drag Polar
Key insights
Key ideas from this lesson:
- Parasite drag (form, skin friction, interference) grows with speed; induced drag falls with speed.
- The drag polar C_D = C_D0 + k·C_L² captures the trade-off between the two.
- Total drag has a minimum — that point gives the best lift-to-drag ratio (L/D).
- Flying close to the ground in ground effect reduces induced drag.
(Draft — refine in admin.)
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