If the unaccelerated stall speed is 60 knots, what is the stall speed under a load factor of 2 Gs?

Prepare for the Airplanes and Aerodynamics Commercial Pilot Test. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

If the unaccelerated stall speed is 60 knots, what is the stall speed under a load factor of 2 Gs?

Explanation:
Stall speed rises with load factor because the wing must generate more lift to support the heavier load. At stall, lift equals weight, and with a higher load factor n, the required lift becomes n times the weight. Since lift is proportional to V^2 for a given wing (L = 0.5 ρ V^2 S Cl, with Cl,max fixed at stall), increasing the required lift means V must increase as the square root of n. This gives Vstall = Vs1 × sqrt(n). With an unaccelerated stall speed of 60 knots at 1 g and a load factor of 2 g, the stall speed is 60 × sqrt(2) ≈ 84.9 knots. So the best answer is about 84 knots. Choosing the other values would ignore the sqrt(n) relationship: 60 knots would ignore the higher load factor, while 100 or 120 knots would imply a larger or different scaling than dictated by V^2 ∝ n.

Stall speed rises with load factor because the wing must generate more lift to support the heavier load. At stall, lift equals weight, and with a higher load factor n, the required lift becomes n times the weight. Since lift is proportional to V^2 for a given wing (L = 0.5 ρ V^2 S Cl, with Cl,max fixed at stall), increasing the required lift means V must increase as the square root of n. This gives Vstall = Vs1 × sqrt(n).

With an unaccelerated stall speed of 60 knots at 1 g and a load factor of 2 g, the stall speed is 60 × sqrt(2) ≈ 84.9 knots. So the best answer is about 84 knots.

Choosing the other values would ignore the sqrt(n) relationship: 60 knots would ignore the higher load factor, while 100 or 120 knots would imply a larger or different scaling than dictated by V^2 ∝ n.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy