What happens to an aircraft's lift as angle of attack increases toward its critical angle?

As the angle of attack increases toward its critical angle, the lift generated by the aircraft initially increases due to the way airflow interacts with the wing's airfoil shape. This occurs because a higher angle of attack allows the wing to deflect more air downwards, thereby increasing the lift produced according to Bernoulli's principle and Newton's third law.

However, this increase in lift continues only up to a specific point known as the critical angle of attack. At this angle, the airflow begins to separate from the wing's upper surface, leading to a stall condition. Consequently, lift will peak just before this angle is reached, and there will be a noticeable decline in lift if the angle of attack continues to increase beyond the critical angle, which is indicative of stall.

This understanding aligns with how lift behaves in relation to the angle of attack and highlights the importance of maintaining the angle below the critical threshold during flight for optimal performance. Therefore, the correct answer recognizes that lift increases until the stall occurs as the angle of attack approaches its critical limit.