angle of attack

American  

noun

1. especially British, angle of incidence.  Aeronautics. the acute angle between the chord of an aircraft wing or other airfoil and the direction of the relative wind.

2. Railroads. the angular attitude of a wheel flange to the rail, especially on curves.

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angle of attack British  

noun

1. Also called: angle of incidence.  the acute angle between the chord line of an aerofoil and the undisturbed relative airflow

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Etymology

Origin of angle of attack

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

In the event, according to Nasa's TV coverage, the angle of attack was perfect and the capsule hit a narrow target of sky southeast of Hawaii as it headed for the Californian coast.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

They discovered that the corrugated wing performance was better when the angle of attack, that angle at which the wind meets the wing, was greater than 30°.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2024

In the Ethiopian Air crash, this angle of attack reading jumped from about 12° to 74.5° in less than a second, which would clearly be physically impossible for a flying machine weighing over 100,000 pounds.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2024

Rugna’s taken demonic possession, that increasingly threadbare horror trope, and twisted it around until he found his own angle of attack.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2023

I think I'll have some private advices from Mexico by then that may somewhat change our angle of attack.

From The Enchanted Canyon by Morrow, Honoré