Angle of incidence

Extract

If the term ‘angle of incidence’, so frequently used in aeronautical discussions, could be confined to a single definite meaning, viz., the angle at which aeroplane and wind actually meet, much error and confusion would be averted. But many of the best writers use this term loosely and inexactly, with the result that their calculations and explanations of phenomena are thereby often rendered of little value, and students are misled.

If a plane be held stationary in a horizontal wind (Fig. 1), the angle of incidence A C D will be equal to the angle with the horizon. But if the wind have an upward trend, the angle of incidence will be increased to A C D². A calculation based on the assumption that A C D still remained the true angle would, of course, be seriously in error.