Define the stall and explain how it relates to angle of attack.

• A. Stall occurs when the wing's angle of attack exceeds the critical value, leading to loss of lift.
• B. Stall occurs when airspeed exceeds maximum.
• C. Stall is when the aircraft rotates.
• D. Stall is when the wing produces lift at high speed.

Answer: (A)

Stall happens when the wing’s angle of attack becomes greater than the wing can smoothly support, causing the airflow to separate from the upper surface and lift to collapse. The key here is the angle of attack, which is the angle between the wing’s chord line and the oncoming air. When you exceed the critical angle of attack, the flow can no longer stay attached, and lift drops off dramatically even though you may still be flying at a relatively low speed.

This is why the statement about exceeding the critical angle of attack leading to a loss of lift is the best description. Airspeed alone isn’t what causes a stall—you can stall at low speed or high speed if the angle of attack is too high. Rotating is a maneuver, not the stall itself. And producing lift at high speed describes normal flight, not stall.