Which statement about the stalling angle of attack is true?

Which statement about the stalling angle of attack is true?

• A. It is independent of speed of airflow over the wings
• B. It depends on altitude
• C. It decreases with increasing weight
• D. It varies with engine power

Answer: (A)

Stall happens when the wing’s lift coefficient reaches a maximum and the airflow starts to separate, which occurs at a specific angle of attack set by the wing’s shape and surface condition. That critical angle is largely fixed for a given configuration, so the stall angle of attack is essentially independent of how fast the air is moving over the wing. What changes with airspeed is the speed at which you reach that angle—the stall speed—which does depend on weight, density (altitude), and configuration. Engine power doesn’t directly alter the wing’s critical angle of attack. So the statement is true because the stall angle of attack is determined by the wing’s aerodynamics rather than the airflow speed.

Stall happens when the wing’s lift coefficient reaches a maximum and the airflow starts to separate, which occurs at a specific angle of attack set by the wing’s shape and surface condition. That critical angle is largely fixed for a given configuration, so the stall angle of attack is essentially independent of how fast the air is moving over the wing. What changes with airspeed is the speed at which you reach that angle—the stall speed—which does depend on weight, density (altitude), and configuration. Engine power doesn’t directly alter the wing’s critical angle of attack. So the statement is true because the stall angle of attack is determined by the wing’s aerodynamics rather than the airflow speed.