Aerodynamics
Angle of attack
Angle of Attack (AoA), AoA
At a glance
Meaning of Angle of attack
The angle between an aerofoil's chord line and the oncoming relative airflow.
More about Angle of attack
Angle of attack describes the wing's orientation to the local airflow. It is different from nose attitude relative to the horizon.
Lift changes with angle of attack until the critical region is reached. The same pitch attitude can produce different angles of attack when the flight path changes.