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Pitch (θ) is the attitude relative to the horizon. Flight path (γ) is the direction of motion relative to the air mass. The angle of attack (α) is the angle between the wing chord and that direction. Here, wing incidence relative to the aircraft is zero.

The relative wind comes from the direction opposite to the air-relative flight path. The wing follows pitch. When the flight path lags behind an attitude change, the angle of attack changes.

• Dynamic: flight path and airspeed evolve with pitch and power.
• Manual: set the flight path and explore combinations of pitch and angle of attack.
• Throttle: drag upward to increase power. Airspeed responds gradually.
• 3D view: drag the wing to rotate it through 360°; double-click to return to the side view. The same two-dimensional field repeats along the span, with no wingtip effects.

Try manual mode with a pitch of 4° and a flight path angle of 10°: the angle of attack will be −6°, even with the nose above the horizon.

Attached flow uses a two-dimensional potential field: the Joukowski transformation with circulation set by the Kutta condition. The airfoil and flow field come from the same model. Particles accelerate and decelerate according to local velocity; colors compare that speed with the airflow far from the wing. Motion is slowed down for easier observation. There is no assumption that particles taking separate paths at the leading edge must meet again at the trailing edge.

Esse campo ideal considera fluido incompressível e sem viscosidade. Não resolve camada limite, turbulência, transientes reais nem estol. Acima de 13° em módulo, o aviso e a esteira são uma representação ilustrativa: não constituem previsão de separação. A dinâmica longitudinal usa coeficientes didáticos independentes e não representa uma aeronave específica. O ângulo de ataque das duas asas permanece igual nesta versão sem rolamento; ângulo de inclinação lateral sozinho não determina uma diferença de ataque.