The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the relative wind is known as the

The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the relative wind is known as the

• A. Drag
• B. Attack
• C. Pitch
• D. Sideslip

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the angle of attack: it is the angle between the wing’s chord line (a straight line from the leading edge to the trailing edge) and the relative wind flowing opposite the aircraft’s motion. This angle controls lift and drag: as angle of attack increases, lift increases up to a point (the stall angle), and drag also grows. Pitch is the aircraft’s orientation about the lateral axis and isn’t the same as the wing’s angle to the wind, while sideslip is a lateral motion relative to the wind, and drag is a force along the wind direction, not an angle.

The key idea is the angle of attack: it is the angle between the wing’s chord line (a straight line from the leading edge to the trailing edge) and the relative wind flowing opposite the aircraft’s motion. This angle controls lift and drag: as angle of attack increases, lift increases up to a point (the stall angle), and drag also grows. Pitch is the aircraft’s orientation about the lateral axis and isn’t the same as the wing’s angle to the wind, while sideslip is a lateral motion relative to the wind, and drag is a force along the wind direction, not an angle.