Definition
The component of total aerodynamic drag that is produced as a direct by-product of generating lift. As a wing produces lift, higher pressure beneath the wing spills around the wingtip into the lower pressure above it, creating wingtip vortices and tilting the lift vector slightly rearward. The rearward component of that tilted lift is induced drag. It increases as airspeed decreases and as angle of attack increases, becoming dominant at low airspeeds and high lift coefficients.
Plain English
The drag a wing creates simply because it is making lift. The harder the wing has to work to hold the airplane up — at slow speeds or steep angles — the more of this drag it produces.
Context Anchor
Seen in aerodynamics, slow flight, climb performance, glide performance, and landing discussions.
Derivation
From Latin inducere, meaning 'to lead in' or 'to bring on.' Induced drag is the drag that lift itself brings on — it is induced by the act of producing lift, not by the shape or skin of the airplane.
Why Pilots Care
Induced drag rises sharply at low speeds and high angles of attack, reducing climb performance and increasing the power required to maintain altitude.
Grounding Statement
When you slow down for landing, the wing must make lift with less speed, so induced drag increases.
Intuition Check
Do not think of induced drag as all drag on the airplane. It is only the drag caused by producing lift; other drag comes from the aircraft moving through the air.
Example Sentence 1
At slow approach speeds and a high angle of attack, induced drag is the largest part of the total drag the engine has to overcome.
Example Sentence 2
Reducing angle of attack after liftoff lowers induced drag and improves the initial climb gradient.