View source for Air brake (aircraft)

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[[Image:YSFlight-F15D-airbrake-retracted.png|none|thumb|160px|[[F-15|F-15D]] with airbrakes retracted.]]
[[Image:YSFlight-F15D-airbrake-extended.png|none|thumb|160px|[[F-15|F-15D]] with airbrakes extended.]]
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[[Image:fokker.70.spoilers.arp.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This KLM cityhopper Fokker 70 still has its combined spoilers/airbrakes deployed (the cream-coloured panels on the trailing edge of the wing) after landing at Bristol International Airport, England.]]
[[Image:Buccaneer-AirBrake.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Airbrake on a British [[Blackburn Buccaneer|Buccaneer]] naval strike aircraft]]


In [[aeronautics]] '''air brakes''' are a type of [[flight controls|flight control]] used on [[aircraft]] to reduce speed during landing.

Air brakes differ from [[Spoiler (aeronautics)|spoilers]] in that air brakes are designed to increase [[Drag (physics)|drag]] while making little change to [[lift (force)|lift]], spoilers greatly reduce lift while making little change to drag.

Often, both characteristics are desirable and are combined - most modern [[airliner]] jets feature combined spoiler and airbrake controls. On landing, the deployment of these spoilers causes a dramatic loss of lift and hence the weight of the aircraft is transferred from the wings to the undercarriage, allowing the wheels to be mechanically braked with much less chance of skidding. In addition, the [[form drag]] created by the spoilers directly assists the braking effect. [[Reverse thrust]] is also used to help slow the aircraft after landing.

One interesting airbrake design is the [[deceleron]], a special kind of [[aileron]] that functions normally in flight but can split in half such that the top half goes up as the bottom half goes down to brake. This technique was first used on the [[F-89 Scorpion]] and has since been used by [[Northrop]] on several aircraft, including the [[B-2 Spirit]].

The British [[Blackburn Buccaneer]] naval strike aircraft designed in the 1950s had a tail cone that was split and could be hydraulically opened to the sides to act as a variable air brake. It also helped reduced the length of the aircraft in the confined space on an aircraft carrier.

[[Category:Aircraft controls]]