Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

Density altitude

Asked by: 4493 views , , , ,
Aerodynamics

How does the reduced induced and parasite drag in high density altitude conditions affect the aircraft performance?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

1 Answers



  1. Wes Beard on Jun 02, 2014

    Induced drag is a byproduct of lift. Therefore, if we have less induced drag we also have less lift and depending on the density altitude of the airport that fact could spell disaster for a pilot trying to takeoff.

    Parasitic drag is a function of airspeed as well as the number of molecules flowing around the aircraft. Parasitic drag should decrease at the same indicated airspeed with an increase in density altitude.

    With that said, the powerplant senses density altitude and will lose power with an increase in density altitude. Even though total drag might be reduced, the powerplant will not be able to take advantage of the increased efficiency.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.