4 ms·

Great explanation! It also decreases the stall speed too; which allows a plane to switch to ‘low speed mode’

• tonyarkles 2y ago
  It's a really fun set of tradeoffs to be honest. You get more lift at a given speed/AoA, which lets you go slower without stalling. But you get even more drag, which means the engines have to work harder to keep you flying at that slower speed.
  • lutorm 2y ago
    Increasing drag is actually useful when landing. too. Trying to land an airplane with very little drag at a given spot is difficult because if you're just a little fast they'll float a long time.
    • tonyarkles 2y ago
      Definitely! Flaps are one of the few “almost free lunch” things in aviation where almost everything else has harsh tradeoffs to consider.