Fly The Wing

I continue to be surprised about pilots having accidents while doing maneuvers close to the ground. This list includes airmen from a wide variety of backgrounds, including airshow performers, flight instructors, military pilots and general aviation pilots. It seems to me that some of us have forgotten or misplaced the early-learned information concerning the relationship between Gs and wing stall speed.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Many pilot accidents near the ground stem from forgetting that wing stall speed is not a fixed value but increases significantly with G-loading, often leading to "accelerated stalls."
The stall speed of a wing is proportional to the square root of the G-load, meaning even moderate G-forces (e.g., during steep turns or tight maneuvers) can dramatically raise the airspeed at which the wing will stall.
This principle is critical in various flying scenarios, such as steep turns, overshooting turns to final, and aerobatic maneuvers, where exceeding the critical angle of attack under increased Gs can result in a stall at higher airspeeds.
Understanding the G-load/stall speed relationship is vital for safety, including during upset recovery training, where "unloading" (reducing G-force) the wing can effectively lower the stall speed and aid in control recovery.

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Even though there are many factors contributing to stalling a wing, in this article I will use “wing stall” as an indication of the reduction of lift and corresponding increase in drag when the critical angle of attack of the wing is exceeded. As that