To overcome lift-induced drag, you should: Increase the speed at which the airfoil travels through the air.

• A. Increase the angle of attack
• B. Decrease the speed
• C. Increase the speed at which the airfoil travels through the air
• D. Increase ballast weight

Answer: (C)

Lift-induced drag comes from the wing having to create lift, which on a drone wing generates downwash and vortices that add drag. For level flight, the wing must produce a lift equal to the aircraft’s weight. At lower speeds, you need a higher lift coefficient (often by increasing the angle of attack), which raises downwash and both increases induced drag and the overall drag penalty. By increasing airspeed, you can produce the same amount of lift with a lower lift coefficient, reducing the downwash and the induced drag component.

So, increasing the speed at which the airfoil travels through the air is the best way to overcome lift-induced drag. Higher speed shifts the drag balance toward parasite drag, which grows with speed, but the induced drag portion decreases, helping overall efficiency in the region where lift is being generated.