As the angle of attack increases, where will the center of pressure move?

The center of pressure is a crucial concept in aerodynamics that describes the point where the total aerodynamic force (lift and drag) effectively acts on the aircraft. As the angle of attack increases, the airflow around the wings changes, particularly how it interacts with the upper and lower surfaces of the wing.

When the angle of attack increases, the lift generated by the wing also increases, but this can lead to changes in pressure distribution over the wing's surface. Typically, at lower angles of attack, the center of pressure is located toward the front of the wing. However, as the angle of attack increases, the flow begins to separate from the wing's upper surface at a point toward the rear, effectively shifting the location of the center of pressure forward initially, as the wing is still generating lift efficiently.

As the angle of attack continues to increase past a certain critical point, the center of pressure may start to shift backward; however, the immediate and general trend is that it moves forward with the initial increases in angle of attack. Therefore, stating that the center of pressure will move forward is consistent with the typical behavior of the aerodynamic forces as the angle of attack rises, especially up to the stall angle.

This understanding is essential for flight engineers to predict how