Stall speed is defined as the minimum speed required to sustain what?

Stall speed is defined as the minimum speed required to sustain what?

• A. Maximum cruise speed.
• B. Airspeed for takeoff rotation.
• C. Minimum speed to sustain lift.
• D. Speed for engine failure.

Answer: (C)

Stall speed is the minimum airspeed required to sustain lift. In steady flight, lift must balance the aircraft’s weight. As you slow down, lift falls; when you reach the critical point where the wing can no longer produce enough lift to support the weight, the aircraft stalls. So the smallest speed at which the wing can still generate the necessary lift to keep the airplane in controlled, level flight is stall speed. It varies with weight and configuration (heavier weight or less favorable configuration raises stall speed; flaps or other configurations can lower it). It’s not about maximum cruise speed, takeoff rotation speed, or engine-failure speed.

Stall speed is the minimum airspeed required to sustain lift. In steady flight, lift must balance the aircraft’s weight. As you slow down, lift falls; when you reach the critical point where the wing can no longer produce enough lift to support the weight, the aircraft stalls. So the smallest speed at which the wing can still generate the necessary lift to keep the airplane in controlled, level flight is stall speed. It varies with weight and configuration (heavier weight or less favorable configuration raises stall speed; flaps or other configurations can lower it). It’s not about maximum cruise speed, takeoff rotation speed, or engine-failure speed.