What happens to lift and induced drag as the angle of attack is increased?

Prepare for the CPAER Canada Commercial Pilot Test with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question comes with helpful hints and detailed explanations. Ace your exam confidently!

As the angle of attack is increased, lift typically increases due to the enhanced airflow over the wings, which creates a greater pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces. This increase in lift is a fundamental principle of aerodynamics, where a higher angle of attack allows the wing to generate more lift until a critical point is reached, beyond which lift can decrease due to airflow separation.

Induced drag, on the other hand, is directly related to lift. As lift increases, induced drag also increases because induced drag is a byproduct of the lift being produced. This drag occurs from the vortices created at the wingtips as the pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the wing generates lift. Therefore, when lift increases due to a higher angle of attack, the induced drag also increases in response to the greater lift forces acting on the wing.

In summary, increasing the angle of attack leads to an increase in both lift and induced drag, making the correct response to this question that both metrics rise as the angle of attack is adjusted.

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