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5 Answers

stalling AOA

Asked by: 4663 views Aerodynamics

hello

is the stalling aoa is same for all aircraft. if a light aircraft stall at 16 degrees aoa, does it mean boeng 747 will also stall at AOA?

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5 Answers



  1. Mike M. on Jul 28, 2012

    An aircraft can stall at any airspeed and at any angle of attack.  Each condition can be different depending on the circumstances.  A wind gust or wind shear could cause a stall in straight and level flight, other factors could be the angle of bank at the time of the stall.  Wing design is a key factor as well, some wings have different profiles and each profile will have a different angle of attack.  Some wings are difficult to get into a full stall condition while others are not.  The formation of ice will also affect the stall angle.  I have seen a wing beaten by hail and having a thousand small dimples all over the wing, that wing was difficult to stall and also allowed the plane to fly faster than when it came from the factory.  
    Just remember that a wing can stall at any attitude and at any airspeed.  
    Hope this helps…
     
     

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  2. DonnieB on Jul 29, 2012

    Much of what the commenter said above is correct. I do take issue with the first sentence though. The aircraft won’t stall at any AOA. But the stalling AOA (the critical AOA) can occurs at any airspeed or attitude.  The critical AOA is a function of the airfoil itself. A different airfoil means (potentially) a different critical AOA.
    Another way to look at icing, damage, or any other airfoil anomalies is that you are then flying with a different and perhaps untested airfoil. And the critical AOA may have changed from the normal condition.

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  3. Nathan Parker on Jul 30, 2012

    “is the stalling aoa is same for all aircraft.”
     
    No.

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  4. Matthew Waugh on Jul 30, 2012

    Mike M. has confused himself, the platitude he’s looking for is “an aircraft can stall at any airspeed and any ATTITUDE.”
     
    And Nathan answers the question – the critical AOA is AT LEAST defined by the airfoil shape and probably a bunch of other stuff. If this REALLY interests you then “Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators” is your book.

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  5. Brian on Jul 30, 2012

    Mike:

    “An aircraft can stall at any airspeed and at any angle of attack. ” — No

    “Just remember that a wing can stall at any attitude and at any airspeed. ” — Yes

    Stalls are simple. Each airfoil has its own critical Angle of Attack (AOA), where AOA is formed by the angle made between the air flow and the wing. If either the wing is titled or the flow of air interrupted, especially when interruptions are severe or flying slowly (high AOA already);x if critical AOA is exceeded, the airfoil is said to be stalled.

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