When climbing, what is the relationship between angle of attack and stall speed?

An increased angle of attack increases the stall speed. This relationship is fundamental to understanding aircraft performance, particularly during maneuvers like climbing.

When an aircraft climbs, the angle of attack naturally changes. As the angle of attack increases, the lift generated by the wings also generally increases, up to a point. However, this also moves the aircraft closer to its critical angle of attack, the point at which the airflow can no longer stay attached to the wing surface. When this happens, the stall occurs.

Stall speed is defined as the minimum speed at which an aircraft can maintain level flight; it increases with an increase in the angle of attack because a higher angle of attack requires more lift to counteract the weight of the aircraft. In simple terms, at a higher angle of attack, more airspeed is required to achieve the same amount of lift, leading to a higher stall speed.

Therefore, during a climb where you are maintaining or increasing the angle of attack, the stall speed indeed increases, which is accurately reflected in the correct choice. Understanding this relationship helps pilots maintain safe operating speeds and avoid stalls, especially during critical phases of flight such as takeoff and climb.