Air Brake. A device, usually in the form of a flap, designed to increase the drag of an aeroplane at will. Used to steepen the glide, shorten the approach and reduce the landing run.
Also known as air brakes, they are surfaces that are normally flush with the wing or fuselage in which they are mounted, but which can be extended into the airflow to create more drag and slow the aircraft.
Spoilers ...
Anchor: Apply air brakes, flaps, ect. - Attempt to rapidly reduce speed.
Angels: Altitude in thousands of feet - "Angels 20" = 20,000'
Angle-off: Angle between the line of flight of target a/c and line of sight of an attacking a/c.
At a point of about half of their full travel, the increased drag surpasses the increased lift and the flaps become air brakes. Most flaps can be extended to 40 degrees from the chord of the wing.
The top surface moves up while the lower surface moves down, to create an air brake effect.
Spoiler. A spoiler surface in the upper wing skin is raised, to disrupt the airflow and increase drag.
(Visible differences are: a headlight in air intake separator and horizontal upper edge of air brakes in MiG-15).
Often used on model aircraft to control/increase descent rates. On some aircraft the air brakes are used in conjunction with the ailerons for lateral control at low speeds where the ailerons become ineffective.
Flap A hinged surface, usually at the trailing edge of a wing, used to increase the lift of a wing at slow speeds, to steepen the glide and to act as an air brake during the approach and landing ...
Spoilers The spoilers are used like air brakes to reduce any remaining lift and slow down the airplane.
 See also: Aircraft, Flight, Speed, Aviation, Wing
  
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