What happens to lift and drag as air density increases?

As air density increases, both lift and drag increase due to the properties of air pressure and the relationship between these forces and the density of the air around an aircraft.

Lift is generated by the movement of air over an aircraft's wings, and it is directly proportional to the air density. When air density increases, there are more air molecules available for the wings to interact with, leading to a greater lift force being produced as the aircraft moves through the air.

Similarly, drag, which is the resistance experienced by an object moving through a fluid, also depends on air density. Higher air density means there is a greater number of air molecules available to create friction and pressure drag on the aircraft. Therefore, as air density increases, this increased interaction results in higher overall drag as well.

Both forces are influenced by the equation of lift and drag, which include air density as a significant variable. Thus, when air density rises, you naturally see an increase in both lift and drag.