angle of attack

Noun

Meaning

the acute angle between the direction of the undisturbed relative wind and the chord of an airfoil

Source: WordNet

Synonyms

AoA glide slope angle of incidence angle of refraction angle of reflection incidence angle line of attack helix angle cutting angle aerodonetic face angle angle of heel zero-lift incidence pitch angle angle between the wing chord
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Hypernyms

angle of incidence incidence angle

Examples

Aerobraking Apollo Command Module flying at a high angle of attack to aerobrake by skimming the atmosphere (artistic rendition) Aerobraking uses the atmosphere of the target planet to slow down. Source: Internet

As the angle of attack increases lift rises rapidly from the no lift angle before slowing its increase and then decreasing, with a sharp drop as the stall angle is reached and flow is disrupted. Source: Internet

But as the angle of attack increases, the air is deflected through a larger angle and the vertical component of the airstream velocity increases, resulting in more lift. Source: Internet

Due to the high angle of attack, the long pointed nose obstructed the view and necessitated the capability to droop. Source: Internet

As the angle of attack is increased, a point is reached where the boundary layer can no longer remain attached to the upper surface. Source: Internet

As a result, the flight control computers calculated an inaccurate airspeed, and a negative angle of attack, causing the aircraft to pitch upward 30 degrees during takeoff. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

angle of 90 degrees angle of approach angle of arrival angle of attack lift angle of attack of angle of bank