What happens when a wing stalls?

Most general aviation wings stall between 16° and 18°. This is known as the critical angle of attack. As you increase the angle of attack the centre of pressure (bottom of the wing) moves forward. As this happens the boundary layer is unable to follow the contour of the wing and begins to separate from the top of the wing starting at the trailing edge. As the angle of attack continues to increase the centre of pressure continues to move forward and as subsequently the boundary layer continues to separate from the top of the wing moving toward the leading edge. When the maximum lift coefficient is reached the stall occurs and the center of pressure rapidly moves backwards. This causes the nose to pitch down. <div class="fusion-image-element fusion-image-align-center in-legacy-container" style="text-align:center;--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);"> <img width="1000" height="750" alt="The Critical Angle" src="https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12.jpg" class="img-responsive wp-image-1290" srcset="https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12-200x150.jpg 200w, https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12-400x300.jpg 400w, https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12-600x450.jpg 600w, https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12-800x600.jpg 800w, https://www.runup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-critical-angle-of-attack-the-stall-ex-12.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 400px" />

Most general aviation wings stall between 16° and 18°. This is known as the critical angle of attack. As you increase the angle of attack the centre of pressure (bottom of the wing) moves forward. As this happens the boundary layer is unable to follow the contour of the wing and begins to separate from the top of the wing starting at the trailing edge. As the angle of attack continues to increase the centre of pressure continues to move forward and as subsequently the boundary layer continues to separate from the top of the wing moving toward the leading edge. When the maximum lift coefficient is reached the stall occurs and the center of pressure rapidly moves backwards. This causes the nose to pitch down.

Useful Pilot Written Exam Study Tools

Studying for any written exam can be a daunting task – especially one with so much material and so many topics to cover. The Transport Canada Private Pilot License written exam is only 100 questions, but it’s no joke. After working your way through ground school, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed with how much material there is and figuring out what study methods work best. You may also be thinking, “did I retain a single thing?!” After completing my exam in March, it’s easy now to look back and realize what study tools helped the most and which kept me organized – so I’ve come to share. This is not a complete review of all TC PPL Written Exam study tools, but a review of the ones I found to be worth my time and money.

Sharper Edge Solutions Private Pilot Exam Preparation Guide

Nothing gets you prepared like practice questions! This book is full of them, with a quick content review before each topic. I recommend completing your ground school, in full, before tackling this book. The topic review is meant to be just that – a review. It’s not meant to teach you the material. This study tool is a little on the expensive side, but there’s always new student pilots to pass your books onto. You can’t put a price on that solid passing mark!

(Have a book you aren’t using anymore? Post it for sale in the Buy and Sell Forum)

Transport Canadian Civil Aviation Sample Examination for Rec and PPL Licenses TP13014E

This is a hidden gem that a friend and fellow commercial pilot told me about. I’ve never heard anyone else mention this study tool so I consider it a very useful treasure. In fact, my exam had extremely similar, if not identical questions on it. It gets you prepared for how the TC exam asks and words it’s questions. I’ve noticed that the links for this online are all broken, but I happen to have a saved copy right here. Keep in mind, this copy could be outdated so watch for errors.

PPL transport canada example questions study guide

Canada Private Pilot Test Prep app by Dauntless Aviation

This app is perfect for on-the-go learning when you can’t lug a book around. I found this very useful as a Flight Attendant who had a steady stream of downtime in weird places – the back galley of the aircraft, airports, hotels, and crew shuttle vans. This app has multiple setup functions to help you learn: “learning and practicing material”, “continuous practice” complete with post-question feedback, simulated tests, and more. You can tailor it to how you prefer to study. You can also choose which topics you want to study at that moment. I found the explanations in the “continuous practice” phase to be a great review for concepts I had difficulty with. You get an immediate explanation on the right answer. Sometimes it takes a different wording than what’s in your ground school to help you grasp a concept. You can find it here.

Conclusion

Do all the questions in each of these study tools, grade yourself, and repeat, until you’re getting 90s! You’ll quickly figure out what your weak points are and what you’ll need to spend more time practicing. Mine was the radio navigation. It took me multiple practice questions to grasp it, but I did, due to the help of these exact aids. These TC PPL Written Exam study tools are here to help you stay organized and reach your highest potential.

Happy studying!