What is angle of attack in fighter aircraft terminology?

Answer 1

Concurring with Aviaphage and EyesontheScreen, AoA is not fighter specific. Adding to their excellent answers, I'd just add that it is, in simple terms, the angle between where the wing is pointing and where it is going.

Answer 2

Of all the answers, only aviophage is correct. Lift over drag (L/D) is a function of alpha, angle of attack. As alpha increases, so does L/D up to a point.

After that point L/D drops off suddenly and that is called the backside of the curve. At this point any further increase in angle of attack results in a stall and the aircraft is no longer flying. This happens when the laminar flow of air over the wing top fails and starts to eddy (swirl). That results in L, lift, suddenly dropping off, while drag, D, does not...it might even increase.

Angle of attack is actually defined through two vectors: the vector of the aircraft through the air and the vector of the air passing over the wing top. The angular difference between one vector and the other is that angle of attack. It applies to all aircraft that use a wing to create their lift.

Answer 3

All of the previous answers are wrong!!!

The angle of attack is the angle between the centerline of the aircraft's motion, called the "angle of incidence" and the centerline of the wing. Every aircraft has a range of angles of attack in which a higher angle of attack results in greater lift up to a point, above which the wing loses lift more or less abruptly. This loss of lift is called a "stall."

For much more information, including pictures and diagrams, try an internet search on "basic aerodynamics" or "angle of attack."

Answer 4

It is the angle at which the attacking aircraft approaches it's target.

For example, an aircraft that attackes another aircraft directly from behind has angle of attack of 180, but is coloquially referred to as a bogey coming in at 6 O'clock. Hence the term, watch your 6.

Answer 5

Angle of attack is not fighter terminology it is simply the angle of the wings on the air.

Yes pilots use that term as it relates to a target. But that is a kinda unofficial use of the term.

Answer 6

Angle of attack reffoers to how high the nose of the aircraft can be raised while still continuing forward in horizontal flight.

Answer 7

The angle to horizontal that the plane needs to land. The nose must be up at a particular angle for the plane to fly slow enough. Too high, you stall. Too low you over shoot the runway or hit the ground too hard.

Answer 8

my guess would be this refers to the angle at which the aircraft approaches the runway.