How will stall speed be affected by being overweight?

How will stall speed be affected by being overweight?

• A. Lower
• B. Higher
• C. Unchanged
• D. Variable

Answer: (B)

Stall speed is the minimum airspeed at which the wing can generate enough lift to support the airplane’s weight in level flight. Lift depends on dynamic pressure, which increases with speed, and on the wing’s area and Cl_max. At the stall point, lift equals weight, so W = 0.5 ρ V^2 S Cl_max. Solving for V_stall shows V_stall = sqrt((2W) / (ρ S Cl_max)). With more weight, W goes up, so V_stall must go up as well. In short, being overweight requires a higher speed to avoid stalling. It won’t be lower or unchanged for a given airplane; it increases with weight.

Stall speed is the minimum airspeed at which the wing can generate enough lift to support the airplane’s weight in level flight. Lift depends on dynamic pressure, which increases with speed, and on the wing’s area and Cl_max. At the stall point, lift equals weight, so W = 0.5 ρ V^2 S Cl_max. Solving for V_stall shows V_stall = sqrt((2W) / (ρ S Cl_max)). With more weight, W goes up, so V_stall must go up as well. In short, being overweight requires a higher speed to avoid stalling. It won’t be lower or unchanged for a given airplane; it increases with weight.