Which two factors can a pilot modify to influence lift besides flaps?

• A. Angle of attack and speed
• B. Bank angle and altitude
• C. Yaw and roll rate
• D. Propeller RPM and fuel flow

Answer: (A)

Lift comes from how the wing interacts with the air, which you can influence mainly by adjusting the angle of attack and the airspeed. Increasing the angle of attack by pitching up makes the wing bite the air more steeply, raising the lift coefficient up to the stall limit. Increasing speed raises the dynamic pressure on the wing, so for a given coefficient of lift, lift increases as speed goes up. Flaps also boost lift by changing the wing’s shape, but removing them from consideration, the two direct levers you can actively adjust are angle of attack and speed. Other options either affect required lift (like bank angle changing load factor or altitude changing air density) or influence thrust and flight path, not the lift produced by the wing itself.