Angle of Attack

Angle of attack (AOA) is an important concept in aerodynamics and aviation. It is one of the first concepts taught to all pilots, both civilian and military, since it plays a large role in most flight maneuvers and in keeping the aircraft under control.

Angle of attack is defined as the angle between the chord line of the aircraft's wing and the direction of the wind flow striking the leading edge of the wing. In non-technical terms, this basically means that it is the difference between the aircraft's pitch angle and the vertical angle that the aircraft is actually flying.

AOA and Lift

Too high AoA will ruin your lift. Some nerd shit also.

AOA and Drag

While AoA being high might not ruin all of your lift, it might still be a huge negative factor in your drag. This some nerd shit.

Determining Your AOA

AoA Gauge Unlike many civilian aircraft, angle of attack is actually quite easy to determine in the F-16. There are multiple instruments which directly tell you your AoA, and several indirect indications as well. The angle of attack gauge (located underneath the analog altimeter and directly next to your left knee) tells you your angle of attack, in degrees. It also has color bands which correspond to the angle of attack indexer next to the HUD.