Angle of attack

[Bill Greenwood]

Sam, next time you are doing landings maybe try a few with a glance at both the airspeed indicator and the AOA indicator, so that you can see if the AOA is telling you anything different than the airspeed. I would think that anyone would do that when they first installed the AOA and did the first flights afterward, unless it is a new plane.

For some large planes like an airliner or transport or bomber, where weight will vary a lot, an AOA may be usefull. I don't have much direct experience with these types.
Of course stall speed varies with weight,and usually in the operators manual stall speeds are given at gross weigth, both clean and as VSO, so they are at the top edge and give you a little margin of safe airspeed if you are heavy.


But does stall speed vary with a change in density altitude and which way?
It has been my experience that stall speed, with the same weight and same configuration ,and same g load is at the same INDICATED airspeed, even if the true airspeed is different.
My Cub for instance stalls at 38mph indicated , power off, and it is the same summer or winter.

As for installation , the plane I'd use it on does not have struts, and no inspection covers on the leading edge, but I may take a look again at more specifics of that. I don't see much point in putting one on a Cub that lands in a few hundred feet anyway.