Chapter 3

Drag Polar

Prof.E.G.Tulapurkara

1
3.1. Introduction

As mentioned in chapter 1, to evaluate the

performance of an airplane we need to know as
to what will be the drag coefficient of the airplane
(CD) when the lift coefficient (CL) and Mach
number are given.
The relationship between the drag coefficient and
the lift coefficient is called drag polar.
The usual method to estimate the drag of an
airplane is to add the drags of the major
components of the airplane and then apply
correction for the interference effects.
2
 The major components of the airplane which
contribute to drag are wing, fuselage, horizontal
tail, vertical tail, nacelles and landing gear.

Thus,
D = Dwing + Dfuse + Dht + Dvt + Dnac + Dlg +
Detc + Dint (3.1)
where Dwing, Dfuse , Dht, Dvt and Dlg denote drag
due to wing, fuselage, horizontal tail, vertical tail
and landing gear respectively.
Detc includes the drag of items like external fuel
tanks, bombs, struts etc..

3
Dint is the drag due to interference. This arises
due to the following reasons.
While estimating the drag of wing, fuselage and
other components we consider the drag of the
component when it is free from the influence of
any other components. Whereas in an airplane
the wing, fuselage, and tails lie in close
proximity of each other and flow past one
component is influenced by that past the other.
As an illustration let us consider an airfoil kept
in a stream of velocity V∞. Let the drag be 5 N.
Now consider a small plate whose drag at the
same speed of be 2 N.
4
Then the drag of the airfoil and the plate as a
combination (Fig. 3.1) would, in general, be
higher than the sum of individual drags. i.e.
D airfoil+plate> (5+2)=(5+2)+Dint
It is evident that Dint will also depend on the
place where the plate is located on the airfoil.
Remarks
i) Ways to reduce interference drag
A large number of studies have been carried out
on interference drag and it is found that Dint can
be brought down to 5 to 10% of the sum of the
drags of all components, by giving proper fillets
at the junctions of wing and fuselage and tails
5
and fuselage ( Fig 3.2 ).
Fig 3.1 Interference drag
6
Fig 3.2 Reduction of interference drag using fillets
(Adapted from Ref.3.1, pp. 181)
7
ii) Favorable interference effect
The interference effects need not always
increase the drag . The drag of the airfoil plus
the plate can be lower than the drag of the
airfoil when a thin plate is attached to the
trailing edge of the airfoil which is called splitter
plate. The birds flying in formation flight
experience lower drag than when flying
individually.
(iii) Contributions to airplane lift
The main contribution to the lift comes from
wing-fuselage combination and a small
contribution from the horizontal tail i.e. :
L = Lwing + fuselage + Lht (3.2) 8
 For airplanes with wings having aspect ratio
greater than six, the lift due to the wing-fuselage
combination is roughly equal to the lift produced
by the gross wing area. The gross wing area (S)
is the planform area of the wing, extended into
the fuselage, up to the plane of the symmetry.
iv) Contributions to airplane pitching moment
The pitching moment of the airplane is taken
about its center of gravity and denoted by Mcg.
Main contributions to Mcg are from wing, fuselage,
nacelle and horizontal tail i.e.
Mcg = Mwing + Mfuselage + Mht + Mnac (3.3)
9
(v) Non-dimensional quantities

To obtain the non-dimensional quantities namely drag

coefficient (CD), lift coefficient (CL) and pitching
moment coefficient (Cmcg) the reference quantities are
the free stream dynamic pressure (½ ρV∞2) ,the gross
wing area (S) and the mean aerodynamic chord of the
_
wing ( c ). Consequently ,
D L M cg
CD = 1 ; CL = 1 ; Cmcg = (3.4)
2 ρV∞
2
S 2 ρV ∞
2
S 1
2 ρV 2
∞ Sc

However, the drag coefficient and lift coefficient

of the individual components are based on their
own reference areas i.e.
10
(a) For wing, horizontal tail and vertical tail the
reference area is their planform area.

(b) For fuselage, nacelle, fuel tanks, bombs and

such other bodies the reference area is either the
wetted area or the frontal area. The wetted area is
the area of the surface of the body in contact
with the fluid. The frontal area is the maximum
cross-sectional area of the body.
(c) For other components like landing gear the
reference area is given along with the definition
of CD.

11
Note:
(I) The reference area, on which the CD and CL of an
individual component is based, is also called
proper area and denoted by Sπ; the drag
coefficient based on Sπ is denoted by CDπ.
(II)The reference areas for different components are
different for the following reasons. The aim of
using non-dimensional quantities like CD is to be
able to predict characteristics of many similar
shapes by conducting computations or tests on a
few models. For this to be effective, the
phenomena causing the drag must be taken into
account. In this context the drag of streamline
shapes like wing and slender bodies is mainly due12
 to skin friction and depends on the wetted area.
Whereas the drag of bluff bodies like the fuselage
of a piston-engined airplane , is mainly the
pressure drag and depends on the frontal area.
It may be added that for wings, the usual
practice is to take the reference area as the
planform area because it is proportional to the
wetted area.
(III) At this stage the reader is advised to the revise
the background on aerodynamics (see for
examples references 1.7 & 1.8 ).
Following the above remarks we can express the
total drag of the airplane as :
13
 D = 12 ρ V∞2 S CDwing + 12 ρV∞2 S fuseCD fuse

+ 12 ρ V∞2 S nac CDnac + 12 ρV∞2 S ht CDht + 12 ρ V∞2 Svt CD vt

(3.5)
+ 12 ρ V∞2CDlg Slg + 12 ρ V∞2 Setc CDetc + Dint
It may be recalled that Setc and CDetc referred to areas
and drag coefficients of other items like external fuel
tanks , bombs , struts etc..
D
Or C D =
1
2 ρ V 2
∞ S

S S ht S vt
= C D w in g + C D fu s e fu s e
+ C D ht + C D vt
S S S
S nac S lg S e tc
+ C D nac + C D lg + C D e tc + C D in t (3.6)
S S S 14
The data on drag lift and pitching moment, compiled
from various sources, is available in references
1.7,1.8,1.9 and 3.1a to 3.7.

15
3.2. Estimation of Drag Polar – Low Speed Case

As mentioned in the previous section, the drag polar

of an airplane can be obtained by summing-up the
drags of individual components and then adding 5 to
10% for interference drag. This exercise has to be
done at different angles of attack. A few remarks are
mentioned before obtaining the drag polar.
Remarks
i) Angles of Attack:
For defining the angle of attack of an airplane,
the fuselage reference line is taken as the airplane
reference line (Figs. 1.9,3.3). However the angles of
attack of the wing and tail are not the same as that16
of the fuselage.
The wing is fixed on the fuselage such that it makes
an angle, iw, to the fuselage reference line (Fig 3.3).
The angle iw is generally chosen such that during the
cruising flight the wing can produce enough lift when
fuselage is at zero angle of attack. This is done
because the fuselage produces least drag when it is at
zero angle of attack and that is what one would like
to have during cruising flight, i.e. during cruise the
wing produces the lift required to balance the weight
whereas the fuselage being at zero angle of attack
produces least drag.
The tail is set on fuselage at an angle it (Fig. 3.3)
such that during cruise the lift required from the tail,
17
Fig 3.3 Wing setting and tail setting

18
 to make the airplane pitching moment zero, is
produced by the tail without elevator deflection.
This is because, the drag, at low angles of attack,
is least when the required lift is produced without
elevator deflection.
ii) Drag coefficient of wing
The drag coefficient of a wing consist of the (a)
profile drag due to airfoil (Cd) and (b) the induced
drag due to the finite aspect ratio of the wing
(CDi). The profile drag of the airfoil consists of the
skin friction drag and the pressure drag. It may be
recalled that an element of airfoil in a flow
experiences shears stress tangential to the surface
and pressure normal to it . The shear stress 19
multiplied by the area of the element gives the
tangential force. The component of this
tangential force in the free stream direction when
integrated over the profile gives the skin friction
drag. Similarly the pressure distribution results in
normal force on the element whose component in
the free stream direction, integrated over the
profile gives the pressure drag. The pressure
drag is also called form drag. The sum of the skin
friction drag and the pressure drag is called
profile drag. The profile drag depends on the
airfoil shape, Reynolds number, angle of attack
and surface roughness.
20
The chord of the wing varies along the span and
further the shapes of the profiles may also
change along it (span). Hence for the purpose of
calculation of profile drag of the wing , a
representative airfoil may be chosen with chord
S
equal to the average chord ( avg
C = ); where S is
b
the wing area and b is the wing span.
As regards the generation of induced drag it may
be recalled that a wing has a finite span. This
results in a system of trailing vertices and
induced angle due to these vertices tilts the
aerodynamic force rearwards. This results in a
component in the free stream direction which is
called induced drag. The induced drag 21
 coefficient is given by :
CL2
CDi = (1+ δ ) (3.7)
π×A
Where A is the wing aspect ratio (A=b2/S) and δ
is a factor which depends on wing aspect ratio,
taper ratio and sweep.
When a flap is deflected, there will be increments
in lift and both profile drag and induced drag.
A similar procedure can be used to estimate
drags of horizontal and vertical tails. However
contributions to induced drag can be neglected
for the tail surfaces.
22
iii) Drag coefficient of fuselage
The drag coefficient of a fuselage (CDf) consists
of the drag or the fuselage at zero angle of attack
(CD0)f plus drag due to angle of attack. It can be
expressed as :
CDf=(CD0)f+K(α)2 (3.8)
For a streamlined body (CD0)f is mainly skin
friction drag and depends on (a) Reynolds
number, based on length of fuselage (lf),(b)
surface roughness and (c) fineness ratio (Af).
The fineness ratio is defined as:
Af=lf /de (3.9)
23
 where de is the equivalent diameter given by:
(π/4)de2 = Afmax
where Afmax equals the area of the maximum cross-
section of fuselage.
When the fineness ratio of the fuselage is small for
e.g. in case of general aviation airplanes , the
fuselage is treated as a bluff body. In such cases the
drag is mainly pressure drag and the drag coefficient
is based on the frontal area (Afmax).
The drag coefficients of other bodies like engine
nacelle, external fuel tanks, bombs can also be
estimated in a similar manner.
iv) The drag coefficients of other components like
24
landing gear are based on areas specific to the
 component. They should be obtain from the sources
of drag data mentioned earlier.
3.2.1 Drag polar
To obtain the drag polar by adding the drag
coefficients of individual components at
corresponding angles of attack , needs a large
amount of detailed data about the airplane
geometry and drag coefficients. A typical drag polar
obtained by such a procedure or by experiments on
a model of the airplane appears as shown in
Fig. 3.4a. When this curve is replotted as CD vs.
CL2 (Fig.3.4b), it is found that over a wide range
of CL the curve is a straight line and one could
write.
25
CD=CD0 + KCL2 (3.10)
Fig 3.4a Typical drag polar of a piston – engined airplane

26
CD0 is the intercept of the straight line and is
called zero lift drag coefficient or parasite drag
coefficient (Fig.3.4b).
The term KCL2 is called induced drag coefficient
or more appropriately lift dependent drag
coefficient. K is written as:

1
K =
π Ae
(3.11)

where e, called Oswald efficiency factor, includes

the changes in drag due to angle of attack of the
wing, the fuselage and other components
(Refs.1.9, Chapter 2 & 3.3, Chapter 2).
27
Fig 3.4(b) Drag polar- CD vrs.CL2
28
 It may be added that in the original definition of
Oswald efficiency factor only the contribution of
wing was included.

Remarks:
i) The reason why an expression like Eq.(3.10) fits
the drag polar is because the lift dependent drags
of wing and fuselage are proportional to the
square of the angle of attack.
ii) The drag polar given by Eq.(3.10) is called
parabolic drag polar.
iii) It found that CD0 is roughly equal to the sum of
the minimum drag coefficients of various
components plus the correction for interference . 29
iv) Parasite drag area and equivalent skin
friction coefficient
The product CD0 x S is called parasite drag area.
For streamlined airplanes the parasite drag is
mostly skin friction drag plus a small pressure
drag. The skin friction drag depends on the
wetted area of the surface. The wetted area of
the entire airplane is denoted by Swet and the
equivalent skin friction coefficient (Cfe) is defined
as :
CD0 x S = Cfe x Swet
S wet
or CD0 = C fe
S
30
Reference 3.7 , Chapter 12 gives values of Cfe
for different types of airplanes.
v) The factor ‘e’ lies between 0.8 to 0.9 for
airplanes with unswept wings and between 0.6
to 0.8 for those with swept wings.
See Refs.3.3 & 3.4 for estimating CD0 and K.
vi) The parabolic polar is an approximation . It is
inaccurate near CL =0 and CL= CLmax (Fig.3.4b).
It is should not be used beyond CLmax .
A quick estimate of the drag polar is carried out
in example 3.1.

31
Example 3. 1
An airplane has a wing of planform area 51.22 m2
and span 20 m. It has a fuselage of frontal area
3.72 m2 and two nacelles having a total frontal
area of 3.25 m2. The total planform area of
horizontal and vertical tails is 18.6 m2 . Obtain a
rough estimate of the drag polar in a flight at a
speed of 430 kmph at sea level (s.l.). when
landing gear is in retracted position.

32
Solution :
Flight speed is 430 kmph = 119.5 m/s.
Average chord of wing = S/b = 51.22/20=2.566 m.
Reynolds number (Re) based on average chord is:

1 1 9 .5 × 2 .5 6 6
= 2 1 × 1 0 6

1 4 .6 × 1 0 − 6

Assuming a 12% thick airfoil the (CDmin)wing at this

Re would be 0.0054 (See Reference 3.4).
Since the frontal area is specified, the fuselage is
treated as a bluff body; (CDmin)fuselage can be taken
as 0.08 (Ref.3.4).
33
The nacelle generally has a lower fineness ratio
and (CDmin)nac can be taken as 0.10.
(CDmin)tail for the tail surfaces is taken as 0.006,
which is slightly higher than that for wing as
the Re for tail surfaces would be smaller. The
results are presented in Table 3.1.
Part Sπ (m2) CDπ CDπSπ (m2)

Wing 51.22 0.0054 0.279

Fuselage 3.72 0.080 0.300
Nacelles 3.25 0.1 0.325
Tail surfaces 18.6 0.006 0.112
Total 1.013
Table 3.1 Rough estimate of CD0 34
Adding 10% for interference effects, the total
parasite drag area (CDπSπ ) is:
1.013 + 0.1013 = 1.1143 m2. Hence
CD0= 1.1143/51.22 = 0.0216
Wing aspect ratio is 202/51.22=7.8
Taking e = 0.83 (see reference 3.4, page A119
for details) we get the drag polar as

1
C D = 0.0216 + C L2
π X 7.8 X 0.83

or CD = 0.0216 + 0.049 CL2

35
Remarks:

i) A detailed estimation of the drag polar of Piper

Cherokee airplane is presented in appendix A.

ii) Typical values of CD0 , A, e and the polar for

subsonic airplanes are given in Table 3.2.

36
Type of CD0 A e Typical polar
airplane
Low speed 0.022 to 6 to 8 0.8 to
0.025 + 0.055CL2
(M <0.3) 0.04 0.9

Medium 0.018 to 10 to 12 0.85

speed 0.020 to 0.9
0.019 + 0.04CL2
(M around
0.5)
High 0.015 to 6 to 8 0.6 to
subsonic 0.017 0.75 0.016 +0.06CL2
(M around
0.8, Swept
wing)

Table 3.2 Typical values of CD0, A ,e and polar 37

Note:
Table 3.2 shows that for low speed airplanes CD0 is
higher than in other cases. This is because these
airplanes have exposed landing gear, bluff fuselage
and struts. They also have only moderate aspect
ratio (6 to 8) so that wing-span is not large and the
hanger-space needed for parking the plane is not
excessive.
The CD0 for high subsonic airplanes is low due to
smooth surfaces, thin wings and slender fuselage. It
may be added that during the design process, the
values of airfoil thickness ratio, aspect ratio and
angle of sweep for the wing are obtained from
considerations of optimum performance. 38
3.3 Drag polar at high speeds

At this stage the reader is advised to revise

background on compressible aerodynamics and
gas dynamics (see Refs.1.7 & 1.8). Some
important aspects are brought out in the
following remarks.
(1) When the Mach number roughly exceeds a
value of 0.3, the changes in the fluid density
within the flow field become significant and the
flow needs to be treated as compressible.
(2) In a compressible flow the changes of
temperature in the flow field may be large and
hence the speed of sound (a= γ RT ) may vary
39
from point to point.
(3) When the Mach number exceeds unity, the flow is
called supersonic.
(4) When a supersonic flow decelerates, shock waves
occur. The pressure, temperature, density and Mach
number change discontinuously across the shock.
The shocks may be normal or oblique. The Mach
number behind a normal shock is subsonic; behind
an oblique shock it may be subsonic or supersonic.
(5) When supersonic flow encounters a concave corner,
as shown in Fig 3.5 (a), the flow changes the
direction across a shock. When such a flow
encounters a convex corner, as shown in Fig 3.5.(b)
the flow expands across a series of Mach waves. 40
 (a) (b)
Fig 3.5 Supersonic flow at corners
a) Concave corner (b) Convex corner
(From Ref.1.7,chapter 5) 41
(6) A typical flow past a diamond airfoil at
supersonic Mach number is shown in Fig 3.6.
If the Mach number is low supersonic (i.e. only
slightly higher than unity) and the angle θ , as
shown in Fig 3.6, is high then instead of the
attached shock waves at the leading edge, a bow
shock wave may occur ahead of the airfoil. A
blunt-nosed airfoil can be thought of an airfoil
with large value of ‘θ’ at the leading edge and
will have a bow shock at the leading edge as
shown in Fig 3.7. Behind a bow shock there is a
region of subsonic flow ( Fig 3.7) .
42
Fig 3.6 Supersonic flow past a diamond airfoil
(From Ref.1.9, chapter1) 43
Fig 3.7 Bow shock ahead of blunt-nosed airfoil
44
( Adapted from Ref.1.7, chapter 5 )
(7) Transonic flow
This type of flow occurs when the free stream
Mach number is around unity. The changes in the
flow and hence in the drag occurring in this range
of Mach numbers can be appreciated from the
following statements.
(I) In subsonic flow past an airfoil the flow has zero
velocity at the stagnation point. Then the flow
accelerates, it reaches a maximum value (Vmax)
and later attains the free stream velocity (V∞).
The ratio Vmax /V∞ is greater than unity and
depends on (a) shape of airfoil (b) thickness ratio
(t/c) and ( c ) angle of attack (α)
45
(II) As (Vmax/ V∞ ) is greater than unity, the ratio
of the maximum Mach number on the airfoil
( M max) and free stream Mach number (M∞)
would also be more than unity. However
( Mmax/M∞ ) would not be equal to (Vmax /V∞ )
as the speed of sound varies from point to
point on the airfoil.
(III) Critical Mach number
As M∞ increases, Mmax also increases. The free
stream Mach number for which the maximum
Mach number on the airfoil equals unity is
called critical Mach number (Mcrit).
46
(IV) When M∞ exceeds Mcrit , a region of supersonic
flow occurs which is terminated by a shock wave.
The changes in flow pattern are shown in Fig 3.8.
(V) As free stream Mach number increases the
region of supersonic flow enlarges and this region
occurs on both the upper and lower surfaces of
the airfoil (Figs. 3.8 c & d).
(VI) At a free stream Mach number slightly higher
than unity, a bow shock is seen near the leading
edge of the airfoil ( Fig. 3.8 e).
(VII) At still higher Mach numbers the bow shock
approaches the leading edge and if the leading
edge is sharp, then the shock waves attach to the
leading edge as shown in Fig 3.6. 47
Fig 3.8 Flow past airfoil near critical Mach number
48
(Adapted from Ref. 1.9,chapter 1)
(VIII) Transonic flow regime
When M∞ is less than Mcrit the flow every where
i.e. in the free stream and on the body is
subsonic.
It is seen that when Mcrit < M∞ < 1, the free
stream Mach number is subsonic but there are
regions of supersonic flow on the airfoil ( Figs.
3.8 c & d ) .
Further When M∞ is slightly more than unity i.e.
free stream is supersonic, there is bow shock
ahead of the airfoil resulting in subsonic flow near
the leading edge.
When the shock waves are attached to the
leading edge ( Fig. 3.6 ) the flow is supersonic 49
 every where i.e. in the free stream and on the
airfoil.
The above flow features permit us to classify the
flow in to three regimes.
(a) Sub-critical regime when the Mach number is
subsonic in the free stream as well as on the
body ( M∞ < Mcrit ).
(b) Transonic regime when the regions of subsonic
and supersonic flow are seen within the flow field.
(c) Supersonic regime when the Mach number in the
free stream as well as on the airfoil is supersonic.
The extent of the transonic regime is loosely
stated as between 0.8 to 1.2. However the actual
50
extent is between Mcrit and the Mach number at
 which the flow becomes supersonic everywhere.
The extent depends on the shape of the airfoil
and the angle of attack.
(8) In the transonic regime the lift coefficient and
drag coefficient undergo rapid changes with Mach
number ( Fig.3.9).
For a chosen angle of attack the drag coefficient
begins to increase near Mcrit and reaches a peak
around M∞ =1.
Drag divergence Mach number
When the change in Cd with Mach number is
studied experimentally, we can notice the effect
of appearance of shock waves in the form of
increase in drag coefficient . The beginning of the
transonic region is characterized by drag 51
divergence Mach number (MD) at which the
Fig 3.9 Schematic variations of Cl and Cd of an
airfoil in transonic regime.
(Adapted from Ref. 1.9, chapter1) 52
 increase in the drag coefficient is 0.002 over the
value of Cd at sub-critical Mach numbers. It may
be added that for a chosen angle of attack the
value of Cd remains almost constant at sub-
critical Mach numbers. As mentioned earlier the
increase in the drag coefficient in the transonic
region is due to appearance of shock waves and
hence it is also called wave drag.
The drag divergence Mach number of an airfoil
depends on its shape, thickness ratio and the
angle of attack.
(9) The drag divergence Mach number of a wing
depends on the drag divergence Mach number of
the airfoil used, and the aspect ratio. It can be 53
increased by incorporating sweep ( Λ ) to the
wing. The geometrical parameters of the wing
are shown in Fig.3.10. The beneficial effects of
sweep on (a) increasing MD , (b) decreasing
peak value of wave drag coefficient (CDpeak)
and (c ) increasing Mach number at which
CDpeak occurs are shown in Fig.3.11.

54
Fig 3.10 Geometric parameters of a wing55
Fig 3.11 Effect of wing sweep on variation of CD
with Mach number.
(Adapted from Ref.1.9, chapter 1) 56
(10) Drag at supersonic speeds
At supersonic Mach numbers also the drag of a
wing can be expressed as sum of the profile drag
of the wing section plus the drag due to effect of
finite aspect ratio . The profile drag consists of
pressure drag plus the skin friction drag . The
pressure drag results from the pressure
distribution caused by the shock waves and
expansion waves (Fig.3.6) and hence is called
wave drag. At supersonic speed the skin friction
drag is only a small fraction of the wave drag. The
wave drag of a symmetrical aerofoil (Cdw) can
be expressed as (Ref.1.7 , chapter 5 ):
57
 4
Cdw = [α 2 + (t / c) 2 ]
M ∞2 − 1

The wave drag of a finite wing at supersonic speeds

can also be expressed as KCL2 ( see Ref.1.7 ,
chapter 5 for details). However in this case K
depends on free stream Mach number (M∞ ), aspect
ratio and leading edge sweep of the wing (see
Ref.1.7 for details).
(11) It can be imagined that the flow past a
fuselage will also show that the maximum velocity
(Vmax) on the fuselage is higher than V∞.
Consequently, a fuselage will also have a critical
Mach number (Mcritf ) which depends on the fineness
58
ratio of the fuselage. For the slender fuselage,
typical of high subsonic jet airplanes, Mcritf could
be around 0.9. Above Mcritf, the drag of the
fuselage will be a function of Mach number in
addition to the angle of attack.

59
3.3.1 Drag polar of at high speeds
The drag polar of an airplane, which is obtained
by the summing the drag coefficients of its
major components, will also undergo changes as
Mach number changes from subsonic to
supersonic. However it is found that the
approximation of parabolic polar is still valid at
transonic and supersonic speeds, but CD0 and K
are now functions of Mach number i.e. :
CD = CD0(M) + K(M)CL2 (3.12)
Detailed estimation of the drag polar of a
subsonic jet airplane is presented in Appendix B

60
Remarks:
i) Guidelines for variations of CD0 and K for a
subsonic jet transport airplane
Subsonic jet airplanes are generally designed such
that there is no significant wave drag up to cruise
Mach number ( Mcruise ). However to calculate the
maximum speed in level flight (Vmax) or the
maximum Mach number (Mmax ), we need guidelines
for increase in CDo and K beyond Mcruise .Towards this
end we consider the data on B727-100 airplane.
Reference 3.8 gives drag polars of B727-100 at
M=0.7,0.76,0.82,0.84,0.86 and 0.88. Values of CD
and CL corresponding to various Mach numbers
were read and are shown in Fig. 3.12 by symbols.
61
Following the parabolic approximation, these polars
 were fitted with Eq.(3.12) and CD0 and K were
obtained using least square technique. The fitted
polars are shown as curves in Fig. 3.12. The
values of CD0 and K are given in Table 3.3. and
presented in Figures 3.13 (a) & (b).

M CD0 K
0.7 0.01631 0.04969
0.76 0.01634 0.05257
0.82 0.01668 0.06101
0.84 0.01695 0.06807
0.86 0.01733 0.08183
0.88 0.01792 0.103

Table 3.3 Variations of CD0 and K with Mach number

62
Fig 3.12 Drag polars at different Mach numbers
63
for B727-100
Fig 3.13 (a) Parameters of drag polar -CD0 for B727-100
64
Fig 3.13 (b) Parameters of drag polar- K for B727-100
65
 It is seen that the drag polar and hence CD0 and
K are almost constant up to M=0.76. The
variations of CD0 and K between M=0.76 and
0.86, when fitted with polynomial curves give
the following equations (see also Figures 3.13 a &
b).
CD0=0.01634 -0.001( M-0.76)+0.11 (M-0.76)2 (3.13)
K= 0.05257+ (M-0.76)2 + 20.0 (M-0.76)3 (3.14)
Note: For M≤ 0.76 , CD0= 0.01634 , K=0.05257
Based on these trends the variations of CD0 and K
beyond Mcruise but up to Mcruise+0.1 can be
expressed by Eqs. (3.13a) and (3.14a) and
treated as guideline for calculation of Mmax and 66
range of an airplane (see also Appendix B )
 CD=CD0cr -0.001 ( M-Mcruise)+0.11 (M-Mcruise)2 (3.13 a)
K=Kcr+ (M-0.76)2 + 20.0(M-0.76)3 (3.14 a)
Where CD0cr and Kcr are the values of CD0 and K at
cruise Mach number. It may be pointed out that the
value of 0.01634 in Eq.(3.13) has been replace by
CD0cr in Eq.(3.13a). This has been done to permit use
of the equation for different types of airplanes which
may have their own values of CDcr (see Appendix B).
Similar is the reason for using Kcr in Eq.(3.14a).
(2) Variations of CD0 and K for a fighter airplane
Reference 1.8 has given drag polars of F-15 fighter
airplane at M=0.8,0.95,1.2,1.4 and 2.2.These are
shown in Fig 3.14.
These drag polars were also fitted with Eq.(3.12) and
CD0 and K were calculated. The variations of CD0 and
67
K are shown in Figs.3.15 (a) & (b). It is
interesting to note that CD0 has a peak and then
decreases, whereas K increases monotonically
with Mach number. It may be recalled that the
Mach number, at which CD0 has the peak value,
depends mainly on the sweep of the wing.

68
Fig 3.14 Drag polars at different Mach numbers for F15
(Adapted from Ref.1.8, chapter2)
Please note : The origins for polars corresponding to69
different Mach numbers are shifted.
Fig 3.15(a) Typical variations of CD0 with Mach
number for fighter airplane
70
Fig 3.15(b) Typical variations of K with Mach
number for a fighter airplane
71
3.4 Drag polar at hypersonic speeds

When the free stream Mach number exceeds five,

the changes in temperature and pressure behind
the shock waves are large and the treatment of
a flow has to be different. Hence the flows with
Mach number greater than five are termed
hypersonic flow. Reference 3.8 may be referred
to for details. For the purpose of flight
mechanics it may be mentioned that the drag
polar at hypersonic speeds is given by the
following modified expression (Ref. 1.1).
CD=CD0(M)+K(M)CL3/2 (3.15)
72
Note that the index of CL term is 1.5 and not 2.0

3.5 Lift to drag ratio

The ratio CL/CD is called lift to drag ratio. It is an

indicator of the aerodynamic efficiency of the
design of the airplane. For parabolic polar CL/CD
can be worked out as follows.
CD=CD0 +KCL2
Hence CD/CL = (CD0/CL) +KCL (3.16)
Differentiating Eq.(3.16) with CL and equating to
zero gives CLmd which corresponds to minimum
of (CD/CL) or maximum of (CL/CD).
73
 CLmd = (CD0/K)1/2 (3.17)

CDmd = CD0 +K(CLmd)2= 2CD0 (3.18)

1
(L/D)max = (CLmd/CDmd) = (3.19)
2 CD0K
Note:
To show that CLmd corresponds to minimum of
(CD/CL ), take second derivative of the right hand
side of Eq.(3.16) and verify that it is greater than
zero.

74
3.6 Other types of drag

In sections 3.1,3.2 and 3.3 we discussed the skin

friction drag, pressure drag (or form drag),
profile drag , interference drag , parasite drag,
induced drag, lift dependent drag and wave drag.
Following additional types of drags are mentioned
briefly to complete the discussion on drag.
I) Cooling drag: The piston engines used in
airplanes are air cooled engines. In such a
situations when a part of free stream air passes
over the cooling fins and accessories, some
momentum is lost and this results in a drag
called cooling drag.
75
II) Base drag: If the rear end of a body terminates
abruptly , the area at the rear is called a base.
The abrupt ending causes flow to separate and a
low pressure region exists over the base. This
causes a pressure drag called base drag.
III) External stores drag: Presence of external
fuel tank, bombs, missiles etc. causes additional
parasite drag which is called external stores drag.
Antennas, lights etc. also cause parasite drag
which is called protuberance drag.
IV) Leakage drag: Air leaking into and out of gaps
and holes in the airplane surface causes increase
in parasite called leakage drag. 76
V) Trim drag: In example 1.1 it was shown that
to balance the pitching moment about c.g. (Mcg),
the horizontal tail produces a lift (-Lt) in the
downward direction. To compensate for this , the
wing needs to produce a lift (LW) equal to the
weight of the airplane plus the downward load
(LW = W+Lt) . Hence the induced drag of the wing,
which depends on Lw , would be more than that
when the lift equals weight. This additional drag is
called trim drag as the action of making Mcg equal
to zero is referred to as trimming the airplane.

77
3.7 High lift devices
3.7.1 Introduction
From earlier discussion we know that:
1
L = ρ V 2 SC L (3.20)
2
Further for an airplane to take-off , the lift must
at least be equal to the weight of the airplane , or
1
L = W = ρV 2 SCL (3.21)
2
Hence 2W
V= (3.22)
ρ SCL

Since CL has a maximum value , we define

stalling speed (Vs) as:
78
 2W (3.23)
Vs =
ρ SCL max
The take-off speed (VTo) is actually higher than the
stalling speed. It is easy to imagine that the take-
off distance would be proportional V2To and in turn
to Vs2. Thus to reduce the take-off distance we
need to reduce Vs. Further the wing loading (W/S)
is decided by other consideration like cruise. Hence
CLmax should be high to reduce take-off and landing
distances. The devices to increase CLmax are called
high lift devices.

79
3.7.2 Factors limiting CLmax
Consider an airfoil at low angle of attack (α).
Figure 3.16a shows a flow visualization picture of
the flow field . Boundary layers are seen on the
upper and lower surfaces. As the pressure
gradient is low, the boundary layers are attached.
The lift coefficient is nearly zero. Now consider
the same airfoil at slightly higher angle of attack
(Fig.3.16b). The velocity on the upper surface is
higher than that on the lower surface and
consequently the pressure is lower on the upper
surface as compared to that on the lower surface.
The airfoil develops higher lift coefficient as
compares to that in Fig.3.16a. 80
3.16a Flow past an airfoil at low angle of attack.
Note: The flow is from left to right
(Adapted from Ref. 3.10 , chapter 3) 81
3.16b Flow past an airfoil at moderate angle of attack.
Note: The flow is from right to left
(Adapted from Ref. 3.11 , part 3 section II B)82
However the pressure gradient is also higher on
the upper surface and the boundary layer
separates ahead of the trailing edge (Fig.3.16b) .
As the angle of attack approaches about 150 the
separation point approaches the leading edge of
the airfoil (Fig.3.16c). Then the lift coefficient
begins to decrease (Fig.3.16d) and the airfoil is
said to be stalled. The value of α for which Cl
equals Clmax is called stalling angle (αstall). Based
on these observations , delay of stalling is an
important method to increase Clmax. Since stalling
is due to separation of boundary layer, many
methods have been suggested for boundary layer
control. In the suction method the airfoil 83
3.16c Flow past an airfoil at angle of attack near stall.
Note: The flow is from left to right
(Adapted from Ref. 3.10 , chapter 3) 84
3.16d Typical Cl vrs α curve

85
surface is made porous and boundary layer is
sucked (Fig.3.17a) . In the blowing method, fluid
is blown tangential to the surface and the low
energy fluid in the boundary layer is energized
(Fig.3.17b). This effect (energizing ) is achieved
in a passive manner by a leading edge slot
(Fig.3.17c) and a slotted flap (section 3.7.3) .
See Ref.3.13, chapter 11, for other methods of
boundary layer control and for further details.

86
Fig. 3.17 Boundary layer control with suction and
blowing (Adapted from Ref.3.12, section 9) 87
 3.7.3. Ways to increase Clmax
Beside the boundary layer control, there are two
other way to increase Clmax viz. increase of camber
and increase of wing area. These methods are briefly
described below .
I) Increase in Clmax due to change of camber
It may be recalled that when camber of an airfoil
increases, the zero lift angle (αol) decreases and the
Cl vrs α curve shifts to the left (Fig.3.18) . It is
observed that αstall does not decrease significantly
due to the increase of camber and a higher Clmax is
realized (Fig.3.18). However, the camber of the
airfoil used on the wing is chosen such that minimum
drag coefficient occurs near the lift coefficient 88
Fig. 3.18 Increase in Clmax due to increase of camber
89
corresponding to the cruise or the design lift
coefficient . One of the ways to achieve the increase
in camber during take-off and landing is to use flaps.
In a plain flap the rear portion of the airfoil is hinged
and is deflected when Clmax is required to be increased
(Fig.3.19a) . In a split flap only the lower half of the
airfoil is moved down (Fig.3.19b) . To observe the
change in camber brought about by a flap deflection,
draw a line in-between the upper and lower surfaces
of the airfoil with flap deflected. This line is
approximately the camber line of the flapped airfoil.
The line joining the ends of the camber line is the new
chord line . The difference between the ordinates of
the camber line and the chord line is a measure of 90
camber.
 Fig. 3.19 Flaps, slot and slat
(Adapted from Ref.3.7 , chapter 12) 91
II) Increase in Clmax due to boundary layer
control
In a slotted flap (Fig.3.19c) the effects of camber
change and the boundary layer control are
brought together. In this case when the flap is
deflected a gap is created between the main
surface and the flap (Fig.3.19c) . As the pressure
on the lower side of airfoil is more than that on
the upper side, the air from the lower side of the
airfoil rushes to the upper side and energizes the
boundary layer on the upper surface. This way the
separation is delayed and Clmax increases
(Fig.3.20). The slot is referred to as a passive
boundary layer control , as no blowing by external92
source is involved in this devise.
Fig.3.20 Effects of camber change and boundary layer
control on CLmax 93
 After the success of single slotted flap , the double
slotted and triple slotted flaps were developed
(Figs.3.19 d and e).
III) Increase in Clmax due to change in wing area
Equation (3.20) shows that the lift can be increased
when the wing area (S) is increased. An increase in
wing area can be achieved if the flap, in addition to
being deflected, also moves outwards and effectively
increases the wing area. This is done in a Fowler flap
(Fig.3.19 f) . Thus a Fowler flap incorporates three
methods to increase Clmax viz change of camber,
boundary layer control and increase of wing area. It
may be added that while defining the Clmax in case of
Fowler flap, the reference area is the original area 94
 of the wing and not that of the extended wing.
A zap flap is a split flap where the lower portion also
moves outwards as the flap is deflected.
IV) Leading edge devices
High lift devices are also used near the leading edge
of the wing. A slot near the leading edge (Fig.3.19 g)
also permits passive way of energizing the boundary
layer. However a permanent slot has adverse effects
during cruise. Hence leading edge slat as shown in
Fig.3.19h is used . When deployed it produces a slot
and increase Clmax by delaying separation.
On high subsonic speed airplanes , both leading
edge and trailing edge devices are used to increase
Clmax(Fig.3.2.). 95
Remarks:
i) See Refs. 1.7,1.8,1.9 and 3.7 for other types
of high lift devices like Kruger flap, leading edge
extensions, blown flap etc.
ii) See Ref.1.8, Chapter 1 for historical
development of flaps.
iii) Guide lines for values of CLmax of wings
with various high lift devices.
An estimate of the maximum lift coefficient of a
wing is needed to calculate the stalling speed of
the airplane. The maximum lift coefficient
depends on (a) wing parameters ( aspect ratio,
taper ratio and sweep) , (b) airfoil shape ,
96
(c ) type of high lift devices (s),
 (d) Reynolds number (e) surface finish (f) the
ratio of the area of flap to the area of wing, (g)
interference from nacelle, fuselage etc.
Figure 3.21 can be used for initial estimate of
CLmax for subsonic airplanes with wrings of aspect
ratio greater than 6. Quarter chord sweep has
predominant effect on CLmax and hence it is used
on the abscissa in Fig.3.21. The different curves
correspond to no flap case and those with
different types of high lift devices. For example a
wing with sweep of 300 would have a CLmax of
about 1.4 with no flaps and 2.3 with Fowler flaps.
With addition of leading edge slat this can go
upto 2.6. 97
Fig.3.21 Guidelines for CLmax of wings with different
high lift devices (Adapted from Ref.3.7, Chapter 5)
98
The following may be noted.
(a) The value of CLmax shown in Fig 3.21 can be
used in landing configuration.
(b) The flap setting during take-off is lower than
that during landing. The maximum lift coefficient
during take off can be taken approximately as
80% of that during landing.
(c )Do not use these curves, for supersonic
airplanes with low aspect ratio wings and airfoil
sections of small thickness ratio.
(d) As the Mach number (M) increase beyond 0.5
the Clmax of the airfoil section decreases, due to
the phenomenon of shock stall. Figure 3.22 give,
guidelines for estimating Clmax for M > 0.5. 99
Fig.3.22 Effect of Mach number on Clmax
(Adapted from Ref.3.7, Chapter 5) 100
References

3.1. Jackson , P. (Editor) ‘Jane’s all the world’s

aircraft 1999-2000’ Jane’s information group Ltd.,
Surrey , U.K. , 1999.
3.1a. Royal Aeronautical Society data sheets –
Now known as Engineering Sciences Data Unit
(ESDU)
3.2. DATCOM prepared by U.S. Air Force
3.3 Roskam, J. ‘Methods for estimating drag polars
of subsonic airplanes’ Roskam aviation and
engineering (1973).
3.4. Wood K.D. ‘Aerospace Vehicle Design’ Vol.I
and II. Johnson publishing Co., Boulder Colarado
101
(1966) .
3.5. Torenbeek, E. ‘Synthesis of subsonic airplane
design’ Delft University press (1982).

3.6. Hoerner, S.F. ‘Fluid dynamic drag’ Published by

author (1965).

3.7. Raymer D.P. ’Aircraft Design: A conceptual

Approach’ AiAA Educational Series, Fourth
Edition 2006.
3.8. Roskam, J ‘Airplane design’ volume I-VIII
Roskam Aviation and engineering,1990.
3.9 Anderson, Jr, J.D. ‘Hypersonic and high
temperature gas dynamics’ McGraw Hill 1989. 102
3.10 Prandtl , L. ‘Essentials of fluid dynamics’
Blackie and sons , London 1967.
3.11 Kaufmann, W. ‘Fluid mechanics ‘ McGraw Hill ,
New York, 1963.
3.12 Streeter , R.L.(Editor) ‘ Handbook of fluid
dynamics ‘, McGraw Hill , New York, 1961.
3.13 Schlichting , H. and Gersten , K. ‘Boundary
layer theory’ 8th Edition, Spinger-Verlag, Berlin
Heidelberg, 2000.

103
Exercises:
3.1 Following data relate to a light airplane:
W =11000 N,
Wing: S = 15 m2, CD0 =0.007, a = 4.9/rad
A.R. = 6.5, taper ratio (λ) = 1.0, e = 0.9.
Fuselage :Has a drag of 136N at V = 160 km/hr at
sea level.
Horizontal tail: CD0=0.006,at = 4.1/rad,St=2.4 m2
Vertical tail: CD0 = 0.006, Sv = 2.1 m2
Other components:CD0 based on wing area = 0.003

104
Estimate the drag polar of the airplane assuming the
contribution of the fuselage to the lift dependent
drag as small.
[Answer: CD = 0.0193 + 0.0544 CL2]
3.2 A drag polar is given as:
CD=CD0 + KCLn
Show that:
CD0 n
CLmd = { }1 / n , CDmd = n −1C D 0
K ( n − 1)

(CL/CD)max = 1 1
{ ( n −1) / n 1/n
}
n C K
( n − 1)1 / n D 0
n −1
105
 Verify that when n=2, the above expressions
reduced to those given by eqs. (3.17),(3.18) and
(3.19).

3.3 The drag polar of a hypersonic glider can be

given as follows (Ref.1.1, chapter 6)

CL CD
0 0.028
0.05 0.0364
0.1 0.05
0.15 0.07
0.2 0.0907
106
 Fit Eq.(3.15) to this data and obtain CD0 and K.
Also obtain CLmd, CDmd and (CL/CD)max. You may
use expression mentioned in exercise 3.2.

[Answer:
CD0 = 0.028, K= 0.701;
CD = 0.028+0.701 CL3/2
CLmd = 0.1885, CDmd = 0.084,
(CL/CD)max = 2.21]

107