Attack angle

aircraft angle of attack (common designation  — alpha) Is the angle between the direction of the velocity of the flow (liquid or gas) oncoming the body and the characteristic longitudinal direction chosen on the body, for example, for an aircraft this will be the wing chord, is the longitudinal construction axis, for a projectile or rocket, their axis of symmetry.

When considering it necessary to distinguish the aircraft wing angle of attack (as defined above) and slip angle (located in the plane normal to the angle of attack).

The angle of attack (the aircraft carrier surface) is one of the key features in the operation of the aircraft, and the solution of problems of flight dynamics. The angle of attack affects the lift of the wing, with it being in direct proportion.

aircraft angle of attack

However, increasing the angle of attack and also leads to increased inductive resistance (intrinsic resistance of the wing airfoil or airplane).

The dependence of the lift coefficient on the angle of attack

In solving the problems of flight dynamics of the angle of attack is defined as the angle between the positive direction of the x-axis and the velocity vector of the flight.

An interesting fact is that there are planes that can change the angle of attack (by changing the wing angle) in flight or on the ground. An example is the American carrier-based aircraft A-8. 

The angle of attack of the aircraft video

Other parts of aircraft