Here's an interesting article on general aviation aircraft type "angle of attack" instruments:

https://airfactsjournal.com/2025/04/vis ... yNnm-2-yVA

Would be nice to have good AoAs, spent a good bit of my career landing off AoA and just referencing airspeed, for sure a better way to operate

We had one that was installed on our family’s Cub (came that way). Frankly your butt and every other cue was better than what that light system indicated. Activated the warning and lights well prior to stall, like 8 mph. The unit caught fire while taxiing to gas pump. Pimping a panel rebuild. Never put another system back in plane.

The SA-227 Metroliner had a really good AoA gauge right in front of face.

In the 737 I never use it other than glancing at it. One year in recurrent training we got to fly with no airspeed and just reference the AoA in flight maneuvers and approaches.

I personally think if a AoA system in a light aircraft was accurate and had aural warnings so you can stay outside. Visual cues as well maybe. Just another layer of info to use.

I have an inferred AoA on my Aspen system in the Bonanza and a vane-type CYA-100 unit in the Husky. I find both useful, but in different ways. Neither is some kind of be-all end-all life saving gadget, but when properly calibrated I think they serve as a useful learning aid when exploring how an aircraft behaves under different loading configurations at the ragged edge of the envelope, and knowing how far away you are from that ragged edge.

35 series Bonanzas are famous for having a CG envelope that can be significantly narrower than the physical limitations of how the aircraft can be loaded. That’s especially true with mine, as it has the Robertson RSTOL wing that further reduces the front of the envelope. The inferred AoA on final provides a good indication of the control authority I’ll have in the flare, which is nice when I’m dealing with a short field with a crosswind. It responds quickly enough, but the display location isn’t ideal once on short final. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at it past about 1/4 mile final.

The CYA in the Husky has been a great learning aid for me. It’s quite responsive, and provides a reliable indication of stall margin in slow, maneuvering flight. I have the stacked LED display as well as an inclinometer front and center on the glare shield so it’s visible without taking my eyes off where they should be right up to the point of touchdown. It’s been an excellent learning aid and helped me improve my landings on wheels, skis and floats.

The key to getting any utility at all from an AoA is getting it calibrated correctly. It’s not that difficult, and once initially calibrated it should be checked at different weights, CG, and gear/flap configurations. If that’s not done well the instrument is probably more of a hazard than a help.

All that said, in my experience the instrument doesn’t do anything that training and practice wouldn’t accomplish. As experience is gained, it becomes less useful. It served a purpose as a learning aid, and still helps as a rust remover from time to time. No way it ‘replaces’ airspeed.

My $0.02

Belloypilot wrote:I have an inferred AoA on my Aspen system in the Bonanza and a vane-type CYA-100 unit in the Husky. I find both useful, but in different ways. Neither is some kind of be-all end-all life saving gadget, but when properly calibrated I think they serve as a useful learning aid when exploring how an aircraft behaves under different loading configurations at the ragged edge of the envelope, and knowing how far away you are from that ragged edge.

35 series Bonanzas are famous for having a CG envelope that can be significantly narrower than the physical limitations of how the aircraft can be loaded. That’s especially true with mine, as it has the Robertson RSTOL wing that further reduces the front of the envelope. The inferred AoA on final provides a good indication of the control authority I’ll have in the flare, which is nice when I’m dealing with a short field with a crosswind. It responds quickly enough, but the display location isn’t ideal once on short final. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at it past about 1/4 mile final.

The CYA in the Husky has been a great learning aid for me. It’s quite responsive, and provides a reliable indication of stall margin in slow, maneuvering flight. I have the stacked LED display as well as an inclinometer front and center on the glare shield so it’s visible without taking my eyes off where they should be right up to the point of touchdown. It’s been an excellent learning aid and helped me improve my landings on wheels, skis and floats.

The key to getting any utility at all from an AoA is getting it calibrated correctly. It’s not that difficult, and once initially calibrated it should be checked at different weights, CG, and gear/flap configurations. If that’s not done well the instrument is probably more of a hazard than a help.

All that said, in my experience the instrument doesn’t do anything that training and practice wouldn’t accomplish. As experience is gained, it becomes less useful. It served a purpose as a learning aid, and still helps as a rust remover from time to time. No way it ‘replaces’ airspeed.

My $0.02

Just depends on how you learned to use it, same could be said about a VSI not replacing an altimeter, it’s just a different, but complementary, instrument.


For landings, VMC backcountry or IMC IAPs flying your approach/landing off AoA is vastly superior to airspeed.

The book speeds are at MGLW, and presume the wings are clean, standard temps, or a range spanning some variations.

AoA is like a honey badger, it doesn’t care, it will show you exact target for your exact weight, any dirt/ice/whatever on your wing, different temps and DA, etc

It will also show you your exact best glide speed for a engine failure for your exact conditions and weight

There is a reason the guys landing super sonic jets on carriers in some really nasty full on “dark stormy night” conditions fly AoA

When I teach folks in PC12s I can get someone from ACS passable landings to surgical by transitioning them from using the ASI to the full flying AoAs, same can be said for some tips and tricks, difference is with the AoA it’s VERY repeatable

I have no experience with ’real’ AoA instruments in bigger iron machines. These GA gadgets that I’ve used don’t appear to have enough resolution on the front side of the power curve to be a great indicator of best glide or best economy. Would be nice if they did.

That said, after a lot of testing I’m confident the CYA unit gives me an accurate indication of Vx in every loading and flap configuration I’ve tried with the Husky. Any AoA lower than that it’s just pinned at the top of the green.

I think it's important as the author of that article notes that there is a huge difference between the AOA sensors and indicators on a high performance turbine aircraft, and the "sorta AOA" thingies that we see on light GA aircraft.

Example: My current Cessna has an "AOA System" (installed before I bought the plane), which i gave up on after actually trying to use it. Honest, I gave it a try. That said, it has a significant problem: The indicator has a needle and a gage.....hard to focus on that when landing.

Secondly, the thing is NOT accurate at "all loadings, cg's" etc. In fact, the "sensor" on this thing is in fact a copy of a Piper Warrior pitot tube, mounted at an angle.

This airplane offers LOTS of "data" through one's hindquarters when approaching critical angle of attack. I haven't found a mean spot yet, and I've poked that bear a lot. I re-calibrated the alleged AOA indicator, and I can still do better by feel.

I've only used one other of these things, and similar experience there.

That said, try actually comparing one of these light GA aircraft "AOA systems" sensors to those of a high performance aircraft's actual AOA system. One thing you may notice right away: The light GA version only has one sensor. And, since these are typically propeller driven, you obviously don't want a sensor within the prop arc. So, that sensor (a Piper pitot tube on mine) is mounted quite a ways out on ONE wing.

That suggests that that position actually represents the AOA over the entire wing span, right??? Guess again.

Now, look at a transport category aircraft AOA system. First, they ALWAYS have at least TWO sensors, one on each side of the fuselage or on each wing. Somewhere in that instrument system, there's a computer that is constantly comparing those sensors inputs and correlating them into a more accurate reading.

I view these things (on light ga aircraft) as gadgets, frankly. And, while they may in fact help the pilot learn to fly the airplane, simply paying attention to the airspeed indicator and the "feel" of the airplane can in many cases teach one just as well.

Please note that I am NOT suggesting that a true AOA system is not useful or in fact a really good tool. My point is simply that most of these light ga type devices are NOT true AOA indicators.

MTV