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Aviation glossary

Spoiler

Also: speed brake, speedbrake, lift dumper, spoilers

The aircraft

Hinged panel on the upper wing surface that rises to spoil lift and add drag, helping the aircraft descend, slow down or roll.

What it is

Spoilers are hinged plates on top of the wing, ahead of the flaps. Raised, they disturb the airflow so that the wing loses lift and the aircraft gains drag. They have three main jobs. In flight they act as speed brakes, steepening a descent or reducing speed; raised on one wing only, they help the ailerons roll the aircraft; and on the ground they work as lift dumpers.

If the crew arm them before landing, they deploy automatically on touchdown. By transferring the aircraft's weight onto the wheels they make the brakes far more effective, and they also deploy during a rejected take-off. Passengers seated over the wing can often watch them spring up the moment the aircraft lands.

Related terms

AileronMovable surface near each wingtip; deflected in opposite directions on the two wings, the ailerons roll the aircraft about its longitudinal axis. LandingThe final phase of flight in which the aircraft crosses the runway threshold, touches down on its main gear and slows to taxi speed. DescentThe phase in which an aircraft leaves its cruising level and loses height in a controlled way until the start of the approach to its destination. Thrust reverserEngine mechanism that, after touchdown, redirects part of the airflow forwards to help slow the aircraft on the runway. WingSurface that generates the lift needed for flight; on airliners it usually also holds much of the fuel and carries the engines.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Spoiler. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler

MLA

“Spoiler.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Spoiler.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Spoiler. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_spoiler,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Spoiler}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/spoiler |title=Spoiler |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}

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