ANGLE OF ATTACK

CAN AOA GAUGES HELP PREVENT LOSS-OF-CONTROL ACCIDENTS?

- ROB MARK

Early on, pilots are taught that safety of flight depends on, among other things, a consistent flow of air across the airfoil and a positive angle of attack to produce lift. AOA is the angular difference between the wing’s chord line and the relative wind. Increase back pressure on the controls and lift increases, up to a point. Too steep an angle of attack, and that sweet lift-generating airflow goes haywire. Reduce the angle of attack, and the wing will fly once again. So vital is your awareness of the aircraft’s AOA at all times, the Wright brothers’ first airplane included a rudimentary AOA indicator built from a piece of wood and a length of yarn. So if the physics behind this are simple, why do these loss-of-control accidents occur?