Definition
Aerodynamic stalls flown to completion, in which the wing's critical angle of attack is exceeded and the wing is no longer producing enough lift to maintain altitude, typically marked by a clear pitch break, sink, or nose drop. Full stalls are practiced deliberately during flight training so the pilot recognizes the full progression of stall warning, onset, and break, and learns the correct recovery.
Plain English
A full stall is when the pilot lets the airplane go all the way into a stall — past the warning, past the buffet — until the wing actually quits flying and the nose drops. It's done on purpose during training so the pilot knows exactly what a real stall looks and feels like.
Context Anchor
Seen in stall training, flight reviews, and instructor risk discussions, especially when deciding how to demonstrate or practice stalls safely.
Derivation
“Stall” originally means to stop or come to a standstill. In aviation, it does not mean the engine stops; it means the wing stops producing lift normally because it is meeting the air at too steep an angle. “Full” means the stall has actually occurred, not just started to approach.
Why Pilots Care
Recognizing the onset and characteristics of a full stall lets the pilot apply correct recovery inputs before the airplane enters a spin or uncontrolled descent.
Intuition Check
Do not read “stall” as “the engine quit.” In this context, a full stall is about the wing losing normal lift because of its angle to the airflow.
Example Sentence 1
During the lesson, the instructor demonstrated full stalls in the practice area so the student could feel the nose drop and practice a clean recovery.
Example Sentence 2
In the training airplane, full stalls occurred at a higher pitch attitude than the student expected.