Definition
A performance chart in the Pilot's Operating Handbook that shows the airspeed at which an aircraft will stall under various combinations of bank angle, weight, power setting, and flap configuration. It allows the pilot to determine stall speed for conditions other than wings-level, gross-weight flight.
Plain English
A chart that tells you how slow you can fly before the wing stops producing enough lift, taking into account how steeply you are banking and how the airplane is configured.
Context Anchor
Seen in the performance section of an aircraft manual or training handbook when checking safe speeds for takeoff, landing, and turns.
Derivation
Stall originally meant to come to a stop. In aviation, it came to mean the wing has stopped producing normal lift. Chart means information arranged so it can be read quickly, which fits this use: the chart shows the speeds where a wing stall can occur.
Why Pilots Care
Allows a pilot to determine the minimum safe speed margin above stall for the current aircraft weight and maneuvering condition, directly reducing the risk of an unintentional stall during takeoff, landing, or turns.
Intuition Check
Do not read stall here as the engine quitting. In this context, stall means the wing is no longer producing enough lift; the engine may still be running normally.
Example Sentence 1
Before practicing steep turns, the student checked the stall speed chart and noted that the stall speed in a 45-degree bank was about 19 percent higher than wings-level.
Example Sentence 2
Using the stall speed chart, the instructor demonstrated how a 45-degree bank nearly doubles the stall speed compared with wings-level flight.