PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why isn't AOA on the panel?
View Single Post
Old 25th Aug 2006, 15:10
  #5 (permalink)  
slowrotor
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Port Townsend,WA. USA
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If a pilot flying in a turn about on the edge of stalling and close to the ground gets scared and suddenly applies full aileron control to level the wings, the down going aileron may stall that wing and instantly put him in a spin.
The pilot is trying to level his level wings but the opposite occurs. The aileron control reverses when it is stalled.
An AOA instrument might help, but the angle of attack of the aileron can be changed very abruptly. The pilot should be looking out instead of looking at the panel, so an audio AOA device might be good. I have an audio variometer that works well.

Wings stall at about 15 degrees angle of attack without flaps.
Wings stall at about 12 degrees with the flap down. The aileron is the same as a flap with regard to how it changes the angle at which stall occurs. It would be more difficult to monitor the ailerons rapid movements with a gauge.
slowrotor is offline