n aeronautical terms, we distinguish between different types of drag: the zero-lift drag, lift-induced drag and wave drag for example.

Consider a commercial jet aircraft flying very slowly. What do you expect to be the largest form of aerodynamic drag for this aircraft?

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
2 months ago

In a commercial jet aircraft flying very slowly, the largest form of aerodynamic drag would likely be **form drag** or **parasitic drag**, which includes zero-lift drag. As the aircraft approaches lower speeds, lift-induced drag becomes less significant compared to these other drag components.

At slow speeds, the aircraft does not generate significant lift, leading to a situation where parasitic drag (which comprises skin friction drag and form drag) dominates. This is because as the angle of attack increases to maintain some lift, the increase in drag associated with turbulence and pressure differences around the aircraft becomes more pronounced.

Therefore, at very slow speeds, you can expect that form drag and skin friction drag will be the primary contributors to the total aerodynamic drag experienced by the aircraft.