Welcome to How Things Fly (2024)

Drag is the force that pushes planes backwards and slows them down as they fly through the air. Many current innovations in flight are focused on decreasing drag on planes as much as possible. With less drag, planes are able to achieve faster speeds with the same amount of thrust as they had before. Technically, drag is not necessary for flight to be achieved. However, it is impossible to completely eliminate drag during flight without eliminating air. Air is needed to generate lift, so although drag is not completely necessary for flight, an airplane that achieve’s lift will always experience some form of drag.