In a stall, the wing can still produce lift; it does not stop producing lift entirely.

In a stall, the wing can still produce lift; it does not stop producing lift entirely.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It stops completely
• D. It increases

Answer: (A)

When a wing stalls, the flow over the upper surface separates, which dramatically reduces lift, but it doesn’t disappear entirely. Lift comes from the pressure difference between the lower and upper surfaces integrated over the whole wing. Even with many parts of the flow detached, other areas can still maintain some attached flow or favorable pressure differences, so there remains a finite net lift. The lift is just much smaller and the wing becomes highly draggy and unstable. Only when the wing is fully reattached would lift vanish, so the statement is true.

When a wing stalls, the flow over the upper surface separates, which dramatically reduces lift, but it doesn’t disappear entirely. Lift comes from the pressure difference between the lower and upper surfaces integrated over the whole wing. Even with many parts of the flow detached, other areas can still maintain some attached flow or favorable pressure differences, so there remains a finite net lift. The lift is just much smaller and the wing becomes highly draggy and unstable. Only when the wing is fully reattached would lift vanish, so the statement is true.