Angle of attack is critical for pilots because it affects the lift and drag of the aircraft. If the angle of attack is too high, the airflow over the wing can become unstable and cause a condition known as a stall. A stall can cause the aircraft to rapidly lose lift and altitude, so it is important for pilots to maintain an appropriate angle of attack in order to avoid stalling.
To get familiar with how the angle of attack varies in different conditions as you fly, you can display a readout of it in X-Plane by following these steps:
- Go to the X-Plane Settings menu
- Select the Data Output tab
- On the row indicating “Angle of attack, sideslip, & paths,” select the “Show in Cockpit” checkbox. Ensure the “Display in-cockpit data output” checkbox is also selected at the bottom of the window.
After doing this, you will see a readout of Angle of Attack in the upper left corner of your screen. The angle of attack value is shown under the word “alpha“:
