TRUE/FALSE: Angle of Attack is a mechanical angle.

• A. True
• B. Not necessarily
• C. Sometimes
• D. False

Answer: (D)

Angle of attack is the angle between the wing’s chord line and the relative wind, not a fixed angle in the aircraft’s mechanical linkage. It depends on how the air flows past the wing, which changes with airspeed, flight path, and winds. So it’s a kinematic, flow-relative quantity, not a built-in mechanical angle. That’s why the statement is false. For example, you can have a high pitch attitude but a small relative wind deflection if the flight path aligns with the airflow, resulting in a small angle of attack, or vice versa. The key idea is AOA is defined by the flow direction, not by a fixed mechanical angle.