Question

Critical AOA is 15deg at 1000'. What Would It Be at 5000'?

a) 15 degrees
b) Higher than 15 degrees
c) Lower than 15 degrees
d) Constant, regardless of altitude

Answer 1

The critical Angle of Attack (AOA) remains constant at different altitudes, so at 5000', the critical AOA would still be 15 degrees.

Step-by-step explanation:

The critical Angle of Attack (AOA) is not directly affected by altitude. It is a characteristic of the wing's aerodynamic properties. However, the air density decreases with altitude, which means that an aircraft must fly at a higher true airspeed to generate the same amount of lift at higher altitudes. A higher true airspeed would mean that the indicated angle of attack where the airflow separates from the wing (resulting in a stall) remains the same. Therefore, the critical AOA at 5000' would be the same as at 1000', which is 15 degrees.