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 Mach number angle of incidence angle of refraction angle of reflection incidence angles incident angle angle of heel grazing angle line of attack blade angle adjustment angle angles of incidence incidence angle

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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