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Aviation vocabulary · Emergencies & Abnormal Situations

Stall

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/stɔːl/nounCommon term

In aviation, stall means: A sudden loss of lift that happens when the wing meets the air at too steep an angle, so the airflow can no longer follow its upper surface.

In Turkish: stall, perdövites, tutunma kaybı

How it is used

Pilots train to recognise and recover from a stall. Warnings include a stick shaker and an aural 'Stall, stall'. Common phrases: stall warning, stall speed, approach to stall, stall recovery. Also a verb: 'the aircraft stalled'.

Example sentences

  1. The stall warning sounded when the speed dropped during the steep turn.

  2. In the simulator we practised stall recovery at high altitude.

Common collocations

  • stall warning
  • stall speed
  • stall recovery
  • approach to stall
  • aerodynamic stall
  • airspeedThe speed of an aircraft relative to the air around it, which is what keeps it flying. Whenever there is wind, it is different from the ground speed.
  • wingEach of the two long surfaces on the sides of an aircraft that produce lift. On airliners the wings often carry the engines and hold most of the fuel.
  • icingThe build-up of ice on an aircraft's wings, engines or sensors in flight. It happens in visible moisture, such as cloud or rain, at temperatures around or below freezing.
  • flapsMovable panels on the rear edge of the wings that extend to give more lift at low speed. They are used mainly for takeoff and landing.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Emergencies & Abnormal Situations

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