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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/pilot-angle-of-attack-definition

What is a wing's angle of attack?

The angle between the chord line and the relative wind.

  1. The angle between the nose and the horizon
  2. The angle between the chord line and the relative wind ✔
  3. The angle between the wing and the fuselage

Why: Angle of attack compares the wing's chord line to the oncoming airflow, called the relative wind. It is not the same as pitch attitude. The nose can point up while the angle of attack stays small.

Huh, didn't know that: On one sample wing in the FAA handbook, the best lift to drag ratio came at just 6 degrees angle of attack.

The dad joke
Why are obtuse angles so frustrated? Because they are never right.
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Sources

  1. FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Chapter 5 https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-25c.pdf
  2. FAA Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) sample questions https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/training_testing/testing/test_questions/par_questions.pdf

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