es330td wrote:
Fortune magazine online has a photo essay about their new 787. On one
page, http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...ortune/16.html,
they make this statement:

The Dreamliner's wingspan is 197 feet, or about 25% longer than a
similar-sized plane, which increases lift and reduces drag.

I thought that lift, in addition to causing a net upward force on the
wing, also contributes to the drag force on the wing as well. If this
is the case then increasing lift should also increase drag. Did I
misunderstand?

The lift and drag curves for any given wing are a function of wing
design. Although induced drag is a product of lift creation, the design
of the wing could easily change the lift and drag coefficients and make
the wing more efficient.
These are complicated inter-relationships, and sometimes, when doing an
article in a non technical venue, a writer will simply present the tip
of the iceberg.
This isn't necessarily wrong but you will probably notice a distinct
difference between an article on wing design written for Fortune as
opposed to one written for Aviation Weekly :-)


--
Dudley Henriques