Calculate Total Drag of Airplane

 Method to Calculate the Total Drag of an Airplane 

• Calculate Lift about the quarter chord point per unit span

• Calculate Drag about the quarter chord point per unit span

• Calculate Moment about the quarter chord point per unit span

• Calculate Pressure Coefficient at a Point on Wing and Airfoil

• Calculate Induced Drag Coefficient and Induced Drag

• Calculate Total Drag

• Calculate Cl and Cd

• Calculate Lift Coefficient for Airplane

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Total Drag of an Airplane

The total Drag of an Airplane is composed of all the drag from its component parts including the drag from fuselage, drag from wing, drag from horizontal, vertical tail, drag from landing gear, and drag resulting from wing fuselage interactions, skin friction drag and profile drag.

In order to calculate the Total Drag of an Airplane we must have,

The Wing Area in meter^2.

The Aspect Ratio

The Span Efficiency Factor, e

The Weight of the Airplane in Newton

The Altitude in meters

The Flight Velocity in meters /second

The Profile Drag Coefficient Cd value.

Note: The value of the Profile Drag Coefficient must be obtained from aerodynamic or CFD data. You can use the highest Reynolds number data for airfoil

Performing the Calculation, the Following Parameters are computed,

The value of the Dynamic Pressure, q = .5*density*velocity^2

The value of Lift Coefficient CL of Airplane

The Induced Drag Coefficient of the Airplane CDi

The Total Drag Coefficient of the Airplane CD = Cd + Cdi

and the Total Drag of the Airplane = D = qSCD.

Download Free Program to Calculate the Total Drag of an Airplane