Parasitic Drag Calculator

Estimate parasitic (zero-lift) drag from equivalent flat plate area or skin friction coefficient and wetted area.

m²
m²
Pa

Parasitic Drag Coefficient (CD0)

0.01000

Equivalent Flat Plate Area1.200 m²
Parasitic Drag Force6,000.0 N

Parasitic Drag Coefficient (CD0) vs Skin Friction Coefficient (Cf)

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Formula

## Parasitic Drag Parasitic drag (also called zero-lift drag or profile drag) is the drag that exists even when the wing is not generating lift. It consists of skin friction drag and form (pressure) drag. ### Formula **CD0 = Cf × Swet / Sref** where Cf is an average skin friction coefficient for the entire aircraft, Swet is the total wetted (exposed to airflow) area, and Sref is the wing reference area. The equivalent flat plate area f = Cf × Swet is a useful metric for comparing aircraft of different sizes.

Esempio Risolto

An aircraft with Cf=0.003, wetted area 400 m², wing area 120 m², at q=5000 Pa.

  1. 01CD0 = 0.003 × 400 / 120 = 1.2 / 120 = 0.01
  2. 02Flat plate area = 0.003 × 400 = 1.2 m²
  3. 03Drag force = 0.01 × 5000 × 120 = 6000 N