Parasitic drag, also known as profile drag,[1]: 254 [2]: 256 is a type of aerodynamic drag that acts on any object when the object is moving through a fluid. Parasitic drag is a combination of form drag and skin friction drag.[3][1]: 641–642 [4]: 19 It affects all objects regardless of whether they are capable of generating lift.
Total drag on an aircraft is made up of parasitic drag and lift-induced drag. Parasitic drag is named as such because it is not useful, whereas lift-induced drag is the result of an airfoil generating lift. Parasitic drag comprises all types of drag except lift-induced drag.[5]
- ^ a b Anderson, John D. Jr. (1991). Fundamentals of aerodynamics (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-001679-8.
- ^ Anderson, John D. Jr. (2016). Introduction to flight (Eighth ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-07-802767-3.
- ^ Clancy, L.J. (1975). Aerodynamics, Sub-section 5.9. Pitman Publishing. ISBN 0 273 01120 0
- ^ Gowree, Erwin Ricky (20 May 2014). Influence of Attachment Line Flow on Form Drag (doctoral). Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PDF). FAA. p. Chapter 5, Aerodynamics of flight.
The first is called parasite because it in no way functions to aid flight, while the second, induced drag, is a result of an airfoil developing lift.