Higher gross weight affects stall speed by causing it to:

Higher gross weight affects stall speed by causing it to:

• A. Decrease
• B. Increase
• C. Stay the same
• D. Vary unpredictably

Answer: (B)

When the airplane carries more weight, it must produce more lift to stay in level flight. Stall happens when the wing cannot produce enough lift to balance the weight, even at the highest usable lift coefficient. Since lift increases with the square of speed (and up to a maximum Cl), a heavier airplane must fly faster to reach that maximum lift before stalling. In other words, the stall speed rises as weight increases (roughly proportional to the square root of weight). This is a predictable relationship: more weight means you need more airspeed to generate the required lift, so stall speed goes up. The other options would imply the stall speed decreases, stays the same, or is unpredictable, which isn’t consistent with how lift and weight interact.

When the airplane carries more weight, it must produce more lift to stay in level flight. Stall happens when the wing cannot produce enough lift to balance the weight, even at the highest usable lift coefficient. Since lift increases with the square of speed (and up to a maximum Cl), a heavier airplane must fly faster to reach that maximum lift before stalling. In other words, the stall speed rises as weight increases (roughly proportional to the square root of weight). This is a predictable relationship: more weight means you need more airspeed to generate the required lift, so stall speed goes up. The other options would imply the stall speed decreases, stays the same, or is unpredictable, which isn’t consistent with how lift and weight interact.