Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

The Weather Vane It mostly comes from the vertical stabilizer (fin) and the sides of the fuselage behind the center of gravity. This setup makes the wing less efficient overall, but it can reduce drag, weight, and cost compared to using a separate tail. On the flipside, a decrease in aspect ratio will result in higher drag.

Tail 52

Tail Airplanes Weight-Shift-Control Drag 52

Learn to Fly

JULY 11, 2024

This happens regardless of weight, bank angle, temperature, density altitude, or center of gravity. An airplane’s energy state uses the balance between airspeed, altitude, drag, and thrust to represent how efficiently the airfoil is operating. Will you be attending EAA AirVenture this year?

Airfoil 40

Airfoil Center of Gravity Density Altitude Drag 40

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

And ice doesn’t just make things slippery, it messes with the airflow over the wings, cuts down on lift, and ramps up drag. This leads to a serious loss of lift and an increase in drag. This roughness adds to friction drag, which can reduce lift and increase drag by as much as 50% on a wing’s leading edge and upper surface.

Pitot Tube 52

Pitot Tube Drag Lift Airfoil 52

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The problem is that the aileron can only be deflected to a point after which the drag becomes significant. This shifts the ailerons Center of Gravity (C.G.) Adverse yaw is created due to the drag differential between the two sides of the aircraft. This creates drag. With enough mass added, the C.G.

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

This tendency is due to their high center of gravity and heavy engine over the nose wheel. However, the increased drag might make it impossible to take off again. This does two things: it keeps the load on the wings and increases drag. If the nose wheel digs in at high speeds, it can result in a loss of control.

NOTAMs 52

NOTAMs Runway Approach Descent 52

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

The reaction in the form of increased thrust allows the aircraft to overcome drag and accelerate or climb. The aircraft pivots about its center of gravity. Spoilers are panels on the top of wings that pilots can raise to spoil lift and increase drag. The blades bite more air and throw more of it backward.

Lift 52

Lift Torque Thrust Aileron 52

Vintage Aviation News

DECEMBER 14, 2024

One of the biggest challenges for the X-29 was the unusual center of gravity, which was affected by the rear-mounting of the forward-swept wings and made the X-29 inherently unstable. This was why the strakes were added to the X-29’s tail, in order to reduce drag from using the trim on the canard in the nose.

Horizontal Stabilizer 94

Horizontal Stabilizer Center of Gravity Tail Drag 94