Definition
Aircraft components designed to deliberately increase drag in order to reduce airspeed, increase descent rate, or steepen an approach without adding power changes alone. Common examples include flaps (when extended beyond their lift-producing range), spoilers, speed brakes, and extended landing gear.
Plain English
Parts of the airplane the pilot can extend to slow the airplane down or help it come down faster. They work by putting more of the airplane out into the airflow so the air pushes back harder against it.
Context Anchor
Encountered when discussing level flight, descent planning, approaches, and any situation where the pilot manages the airplane’s speed and rate of descent.
Derivation
Drag comes from an old word meaning to pull or draw along. That helps here because aerodynamic drag acts like a backward pull from the air as the airplane moves forward.
Why Pilots Care
These devices let the pilot reduce speed or steepen descent without changing pitch or throttle, improving precision and preventing overspeed during descent or approach.
Analogy
Like holding your hand out the car window to feel the wind push it backward and slow the car slightly.
Grounding Statement
When a pilot extends a drag producing device, the airplane meets more air resistance, so it tends to slow down or descend unless the pilot adds power or changes pitch.
Intuition Check
Do not assume drag producing devices are bad just because drag usually sounds unwanted. Here, the drag is intentional and useful when the pilot needs more control over speed or descent.
Example Sentence 1
On a steep approach into a short field, the pilot extended the flaps and lowered the gear early to use those drag producing devices to control the descent.
Example Sentence 2
On final approach the pilot used the flaps as drag producing devices to steepen the descent without increasing airspeed.