Definition
The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the relative wind — that is, the direction the air is actually meeting the wing. As angle of attack increases, lift increases up to a critical value; beyond that critical angle, the airflow separates from the wing and the wing stalls.
Plain English
The angle at which the wing meets the oncoming air. Tilt the wing up too steeply into the air and it stops producing lift — that is a stall.
Context Anchor
Seen in stall awareness, slow flight, turns, takeoff, landing, and any discussion of why a wing stalls.
Derivation
From Latin angulus (corner) and the everyday word attack, used here in its older sense of approaching or engaging something. So 'angle of attack' literally means the angle at which the wing approaches or engages the air — not anything aggressive.
Why Pilots Care
Angle of attack directly controls lift and determines when a stall occurs, independent of airspeed or pitch attitude.
Analogy
Like holding your hand flat out a moving car window and tilting it to feel how the wind pushes up or down differently.
Grounding Statement
Picture the wing meeting the air at either a shallow slant or a steep slant; that slant is the angle of attack.
Intuition Check
AOA does not mean the airplane’s nose angle above the horizon. It means the angle between the wing and the oncoming airflow.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor explained that exceeding the critical angle of attack will stall the wing regardless of airspeed.
Example Sentence 2
Maintaining a high angle of attack too long in the flare can cause the wing to stall near the ground.