Plain English Meaning

A stall is what happens when a wing is tilted too steeply into the oncoming air. The air can no longer flow smoothly over the top of the wing, so the wing stops producing enough lift to hold the airplane up.

Full Definition

An aerodynamic condition in which the wing's angle of attack exceeds its critical angle, causing the smooth airflow over the upper surface to separate and lift to decrease sharply. A stall can occur at any airspeed, in any attitude, and at any power setting.

Context Anchor

You encounter this term in stall awareness, slow flight, and , and any of controlling the airplane near its - handling limits.