Definition
The airspeed at which total drag on an aircraft is at its lowest value. It is the point on the drag curve where induced drag (drag from producing lift) and parasite drag (drag from pushing the airframe through the air) are equal, producing the smallest combined drag for the aircraft in steady, level flight.
Plain English
The speed at which the airplane is fighting the least amount of drag. Fly faster or slower than this speed, and drag goes up.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of aircraft performance, slow flight, and the boundary between the normal region of command and the reversed region of command.
Derivation
Minimum comes from a Latin word meaning “smallest.” In this term, it means the smallest amount of total drag, not the slowest possible speed.
Why Pilots Care
It marks the speed for maximum endurance and helps determine best-glide and power settings.
Analogy
Think of pushing a shopping cart through thick carpet. There is a pace where it feels easiest to keep moving; going much slower or much faster can take more effort. The minimum drag point is the airplane’s easiest point in terms of total air resistance.
Grounding Statement
Picture the drag curve as a U-shape: drag is high at very slow speeds, high at very fast speeds, and lowest at one specific speed in the middle. That low point is the minimum drag point.
Intuition Check
Do not read “minimum drag point” as “the slowest safe speed.” It means the speed where total drag is lowest; slower than that, total drag increases again.
Example Sentence 1
After the engine failure, he pitched for the minimum drag point to get the maximum glide distance toward the airport.
Example Sentence 2
In the region of reversed command, airspeed below the minimum drag point requires added power to maintain altitude.