Which two components make up drag?

• A. Lift drag and weight drag
• B. Parasite drag only
• C. Induced drag and parasite drag
• D. Sideslip drag and induced drag

Answer: (C)

Drag is made up of two main parts: parasite drag and induced drag. Parasite drag comes from the aircraft’s surfaces and shape—skin friction of the skin, form drag from the fuselage and components, and interference drag where surfaces meet. It increases with speed because air resistance grows as the airplane moves faster. Induced drag arises from the wing's creation of lift; as the wing generates lift, vortices form at the wingtips and energy is lost to these vortices, creating drag that is higher at lower speeds and decreases as speed increases. The total drag is simply the sum of these two components, which is why the correct answer includes both induced drag and parasite drag. Other terms don’t represent standard drag components, and omitting either part would miss a fundamental source of aerodynamic resistance.