Definition
An aircraft setup in which all available drag-producing devices — typically the landing gear and full flaps — are extended at the same time, producing the maximum drag the airplane can generate in normal operation.
Plain English
The airplane is set up to create as much air resistance as possible, with the gear down and the flaps fully out. This slows the airplane down and lets it descend more steeply without gaining speed.
Context Anchor
Seen when practicing airspeed changes in straight-and-level instrument flight, especially when slowing the airplane to an approach or landing speed.
Derivation
Drag comes from an Old English word meaning 'to pull or hold back.' In aviation, drag is the force that holds the airplane back as it moves through the air. 'Full drag configuration' simply means the airplane is set up to be held back as much as possible.
Why Pilots Care
Gives precise speed and descent control while keeping power constant, which is essential for stabilized instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
Do not read “full” as meaning every possible drag method the pilot could create. Here it means the normal, approved gear and flap setup that gives high drag for the procedure being flown.
Example Sentence 1
Approaching the final approach fix, the pilot moved to a full drag configuration to stabilize the airplane at approach speed.
Example Sentence 2
On final approach the instructor called for full drag configuration to stabilize the descent rate at 500 feet per minute.