How It Works

Aviation Technology Made Simple.

- Rob Mark

ANGLE OF ATTACK INDICATOR

THE AOA PROVIDES THE PERFECT APPROACH ANGLE,  MAKING THE AIRSPEED  INDICATOR ALMOST IRRELEVANT.

An angle of attack indicator offers a visual indication of the amount of lift the wing is generating at a given airspeed or angle of bank. The AOA delivers critical information visually or through an aural tone to indicate the actual safety margin above an aerodynamic stall.

AOAs are created around one of two systems, either a lift reserve indicator or a normalized AOA. An LRI is normally accurate in a single configuration, usually near the approach angle of attack. The advantage of a normalized AOA is that the angle of attack measurement is accurate in all aircraft configurations. The normalized AOA is in use on Dassault’s Falcon 7X and 8X, the Airbus A380 and nearly every jet produced by Embraer.