In a level coordinated turn, what happens to load factor and stall speed as bank angle increases?

• A. Load factor decreases with bank angle; stall speed increases linearly with the load factor.
• B. Load factor increases with bank angle; stall speed increases with the square root of the load factor.
• C. Load factor remains constant; stall speed decreases with bank angle.
• D. Load factor increases with bank angle; stall speed decreases with the load factor.

Answer: (B)

In a level coordinated turn, tilting the wings means lift must do two jobs: support the weight and provide the centripetal force to turn. The load factor is L/W, and in a level turn L cos bank angle = W, so L = W / cos(bank angle). That makes the load factor n = L/W = 1 / cos(bank angle), which increases as the bank angle grows.

Stall speed depends on the lift needed at the stall point. At stall, L = Lmax = (1/2) ρ S V^2 C_Lmax. In a level turn, the required lift is L = nW. Setting these equal gives V^2 ∝ n, so V ∝ sqrt(n). Therefore, as bank angle increases and n increases, stall speed increases with the square root of the load factor (not linearly).

So, as bank angle grows, the load factor increases, and the stall speed increases with the square root of that load factor.