Words for: Aerodynamics & Principles of Flight
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AOA is the abbreviation for angle of attack.
A gauge that shows how close the wing is to stalling. Instead of guessing from airspeed, the pilot sees a direct readout of how hard the wing is working to make lift.
Cockpit instruments that display the wing's current angle of attack relative to its critical (stall) angle, giving the pilot a direct visual indication of how close the wing is to aerodynamic stall regardless of airspeed, weight, bank angle, or load factor.
Seen in cockpit instrument discussions, especially for slow flight, approaches, landings, steep turns, and stall awareness.
“Indicator” comes from a Latin word meaning “to point out” or “show.” That fits here because an AOA indicator points out the wing’s angle to the airflow, not just the airplane’s speed or nose position.
They give immediate feedback on stall margin and let the pilot maintain the most efficient angle of attack for climb, cruise, or approach.
Picture the wing meeting the airflow: the AOA indicator shows whether the wing is meeting that airflow at a safe angle or getting too steep.
Do not assume an AOA indicator is just another airspeed indicator. It is showing the wing’s angle to the airflow, which is why it can be useful in many different flight conditions.
During the approach, the pilot cross-checked the AOA indicator and saw the wing was well clear of the stall range.
During a power-off stall demonstration the instructor watched the AOA indicator to confirm the wing had reached its critical angle.