In flight, increasing gross weight shifts the drag vector direction on the performance diagram how?

• A. Up and Left
• B. Up and Right
• C. Down and Left
• D. Down and Right

Answer: (B)

Increasing gross weight means the aircraft must create more lift to stay level. To produce that extra lift at the same flight condition, the wing’s angle of attack rises, which increases induced drag. On a performance diagram, the drag vector represents the total drag (induced plus parasite). As weight goes up, the induced drag component grows, pulling the vector more upward, and the conditions that give that drag correspond to higher speeds on the diagram, shifting the vector to the right as well. So the drag vector moves up and to the right.