{{Short description|Aerodynamic device}} thumb|upright=1.14|One of a pair of stall strips installed on an American Aviation AA-1 Yankee during manufacture

A '''stall strip''' is a small component fixed to the leading edge of the wing of an airplane to modify its aerodynamic characteristics.<ref name="Crane">Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms'', third edition, page 487. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. {{ISBN|1-56027-287-2}}</ref> These stall strips may be necessary for the airplane to comply with type certification requirements.

A stall strip typically consists of a small piece of material, usually aluminium, triangular in cross section and often 6-12 inches (15–30&nbsp;cm) in length. It is riveted or bonded to the wing’s leading edge. Some airplanes have one stall strip on each wing. Some airplanes have only one stall strip on one wing.

==Operation== [[File:Right engine of CL-215.jpg|thumb|The CL-215 has a stall strip on the right wing only]]

A stall strip initiates flow separation on a region of the upper surface of the wing during flight at high angle of attack. This is typically to avoid a tendency to spin following a stall, or to improve the controllability of the airplane as it approaches the stall. A stall strip may be intended to alter the wing’s stall characteristics and ensure that the wing root stalls before the wing tips.<ref name="Crane"/>

In some cases, such as the American Aviation AA-1 Yankee, both wings are designed to incorporate stall strips. In the case of the AA-1 the left and right wings were identical, interchangeable and built on a single wing jig, thus the more traditional use of washout in the wing design was not possible.<ref name="AviationConsumer2">{{cite web |url = http://www.aviationconsumer.com/sample/planereviews.html |title = AGAC AA-1 |date = n.d. |author = AviationConsumer |access-date = 2007-11-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071010110921/http://www.aviationconsumer.com/sample/planereviews.html |archive-date = 2007-10-10}}</ref>

Stall strips are usually factory-installed but, on rarer occasions, may be an after-market modification.

==See also== {{Commons category}} *Stall warning and safety devices

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080828085045/http://www.whittsflying.com/web/page3.265Stall_Origin_and_Performance.htm#Stall%20Strip Stall Origins and Performance, Whittsflying website - accessed 09 March 2008] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090504095154/http://www.t18.net/technical_info.htm#Stall T-18.net Stall Strips - accessed 23 August 2006]

{{Aircraft components}}

Category:Aircraft aerodynamics Category:Aircraft wing components