How does the stall speed change during a turn as the angle of bank increases?

The stall speed of an aircraft is the minimum speed at which it can maintain level flight without stalling. When an aircraft is in level flight, the lift produced must equal the weight of the aircraft. However, during a turn, the aircraft must generate additional lift to counteract the increased load factor created by the bank angle.

As the angle of bank increases during a turn, the load factor also increases. The load factor can be represented as the reciprocal of the cosine of the bank angle – as the bank angle increases, the cosine of that angle decreases, which increases the load factor. For example, at a 60-degree bank, the load factor is 2, meaning the aircraft experiences twice its weight in lift requirements.

To maintain level flight in a turn at a higher load factor, the aircraft needs to fly at a higher true airspeed to generate the necessary lift. Therefore, as the angle of bank increases, the stall speed also increases. This relationship means that pilots must be aware that they cannot fly as slowly during a turn compared to straight flight, as their stall speed has effectively increased.

In conclusion, during a turn, as the angle of bank increases, the stall speed increases as well, necessitating a higher speed to avoid stalling