Definition
A stall in which the airplane's angle of attack has been increased to the point where the wing has reached its maximum lift capability and lift has broken down across most of the wing, typically accompanied by a clear nose drop, a high sink rate, and full aft control yoke or stick. It is the deepest point of a practiced stall, distinguished from an approach-to-stall or imminent stall, where recovery is initiated at the first indication.
Plain English
The wing has been pulled up to such a steep angle that it can no longer hold the airplane up. The nose drops, the airplane starts sinking, and the pilot is holding the controls all the way back. The pilot then recovers from this fully developed condition rather than catching it early.
Context Anchor
You encounter this term during stall training, especially when comparing the first warning signs of a stall with the point where the stall has actually occurred.
Derivation
"Full" here means complete or fully developed. A full stall is the stall taken all the way to its conclusion, not interrupted in its early stages.
Why Pilots Care
A full stall produces an abrupt loss of lift and control effectiveness; prompt recognition and correct recovery prevent entry into a spin or uncontrolled descent.
Grounding Statement
If the pilot keeps raising the nose while the airplane slows, the wing can reach a point where airflow breaks down and the airplane must be recovered by reducing that wing angle.
Intuition Check
A full stall does not mean the engine has stopped or that the airplane is unrecoverable. It means the wing has reached an actual stall, not merely the warning stage before it.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor demonstrated a full stall by holding the yoke fully aft until the nose pitched down on its own.
Example Sentence 2
Recovery from a full stall begins by releasing back pressure to reduce the angle of attack and regain flying speed.