Trainee Guide C-98-0020 NAVAVSCOLSCOM-SG-111 Information Sheet 1-4-2: Lift and Stalls Page 9 of 15 are characterized by a nose down pitch with a slight rolling tendency at near full aft stick. The effect of the landing gear on stalls is negligible, but extending the flaps will aggravate the stall characteristics by increasing the rolling tendency. Increased power will degrade the stall char- acteristics by increasing nose up stall attitude, increasing buffeting and increasing roll tendency. STALL SPEED As angle of attack increases, up to Cima AOA, true airspeed decreases in level flight. Since C decreases beyond Cimax AOA, true airspeed cannot be decreased any further. Therefore the minimum airspeed required for level flight occurs at Cimax AOA. Stall speed (Vs) is the minimum true airspeed required to maintain level flight at Cimax AOA. Although the stall speed may vary, the stalling AOA remains constant for a given airfoil. Since lift and weight are equal in equilibrium flight, weight (VV) can be substituted for lift (L) in the lift equation. By solving for velocity (V), we derive a basic equation for stall speed QW pst By substituting the stall speed equation into the true airspeed equation and solving for indicated airspeed, we derive the equation for the indicated stall speed (IASs). Weight, altitude, power, maneuvering, and configuration greatly affect an airplane's stall speed. Maneuvering will increase stall speed, but will not be discussed until the lesson that deals with tuning flight. WwW PoSC “ Lmax Vi Lmax IAS, = As airplane weight decreases stall speed decreases because the amount of lift required to maintain level flight decreases. When an airplane burns fuel or drops ordnance, stall speeds decrease. Carrier pilots often dump fuel before shipboard landings in order to reduce stall speed and approach speed ‘A comparison of two identical airplanes at different altitudes illustrates the effect of altitude on stall speed. The airplane at a higher altitude encounters fewer air molecules. In order to create sufficient dynamic pressure to produce the required lift, it must fly at a higher velocity (TAS). Therefore, an increase in altitude will increase stall speed. Since py is constant, indicated stall speed will not change as altitude changes. The stall speed discussed up to this point assumes that aircraft engines are at idle, and is, called power-off stall speed. Power-on stall speed will be less than power-off stall speed because at high pitch attitudes, part of the weight of the airplane is actually being supported by the vertical component of the thrust vector. For propeller driven airplanes the portion of the wing immediately behind the propeller produces more lift because the air is being accelerated by the propeller. Power-on stall speed in the T-34C is approximately 9 knots less than power- off stall speed