Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

This setup makes the wing less efficient overall, but it can reduce drag, weight, and cost compared to using a separate tail. High aspect ratio wings reduce drag and improve performance during climb or slow flight. On the flipside, a decrease in aspect ratio will result in higher drag. Short, wide wings have a low aspect ratio.

Tail

Pilot Institute

JULY 11, 2025

Lift, drag, and handling correlate well with IAS in the lower atmosphere. This type of wing redirects the shockwaves further aft on the wing, reducing drag. For most aircraft with highly cambered wings or thick profiles, airflow accelerates over the top of the wing. This is partly due to the steep rise in drag nearing M cr.

True Airspeed

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The pilot is able to control the aircrafts roll by turning the control yoke or sidestick in the cockpit. The asymmetry between the top and bottom surface of the wing is called wing camber. The downward movement of the aileron increases the asymmetry and, therefore, the camber while raising the aileron reduces the wing camber.

Aileron

Simple Flying

JUNE 14, 2025

One of the most influential cockpit levers on a jet’s take-off is the flap handle. Increasing camber, flaps propel an airliner to lift off at lower speeds, trading a little drag for a lot of lift. Hinged panels at the wing’s trailing and leading edges transform a sleek airfoil into a low-speed lift sail.

Camber