A higher aspect ratio wing is associated with increased glide capability.

• A. Decreased glide capability
• B. Increased glide capability
• C. Higher stall speed
• D. Shorter wingspan

Answer: (B)

When you look at wing design, aspect ratio is a big driver of induced drag. Aspect ratio is the span squared divided by the wing area. A higher aspect ratio means longer, narrower wings, which reduces the strength of wingtip vortices created when lift is produced. Since induced drag is tied to those tip vortices, increasing aspect ratio lowers induced drag for a given amount of lift. With less drag from lift production, the airplane achieves a higher lift-to-drag ratio, so it can glide farther for the same altitude and speed—that's better glide capability.

So, a higher aspect ratio wing improves glide performance because it lowers induced drag and increases the lift-to-drag ratio. The other options don’t align with this effect: reduced glide capability would contradict the drag reduction; stall speed isn’t the primary consequence of changing aspect ratio in this way; and a higher aspect ratio usually means a longer wingspan, not a shorter one.