Definition
A flight condition in which the aircraft is nearing the critical angle of attack but has not yet stalled, recognized by the first indications of an impending stall such as stall warning horn activation, aerodynamic buffet, or degraded control response. Recovery is initiated at these initial cues, before a full aerodynamic stall develops.
Plain English
The point where the aircraft is about to stall but hasn't yet. The pilot notices the first warnings, such as a horn, shaking, or sluggish controls, and acts to recover before the wing actually stops producing lift.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training during turns, slow flight, and stall-recovery practice, especially when learning to recognize and recover before a full stall develops.
Derivation
Approach comes from an old French word meaning “to come nearer.” Stall originally meant to stop or come to a standstill. In aviation, the useful idea is “coming near the point where the wing stops flying normally,” not an engine stopping.
Why Pilots Care
Teaches pilots to identify the onset of a stall through buffeting, control feel, and instrument cues so they can recover promptly and avoid an unintended stall in actual flight.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane in a turn getting slower and less responsive while the stall warning begins: that is the warning zone before the wing fully stalls.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approach” here as a landing approach, and do not read “stall” as the engine quitting. Here, “approach to stall” means the wing is getting close to losing smooth airflow and lift.
Example Sentence 1
When the stall warning horn sounded during the steep turn, the pilot recognized the approach to stall and immediately reduced the angle of attack.
Example Sentence 2
During the instrument lesson the instructor called for an approach to stall in a turn to demonstrate how bank angle affects stall speed.