There have been repeated statements that stalled wings don't generate lift. This really isn't correct. Stalled wings can and do generate lift. RedXfred is basically correct, at Zero airspeed the wing is useless. You must fly entirely on the prop for "3D" maneuvers such as hovers and torque rolls. However, for "3D" maneuvers that have airspeed, be it forward movement or prop blast, the wing generates lift. So, for elevators and harriers, the wing is partly responsible for the lift (prop does the rest.)

Like RedXfred said, stalls occur when the boundary layer separates from the wing. This is the beginners section and I don't want to get into a super technical discussion. So in basic terms, as you increase the angle of attack on a wing, it makes more lift, up to a point. If you keep increasing the angle of attack, you will reach a point where the lift actually starts to lessen. This point is basically when the boundary layer seperates and we call this condition a stall. For most airfoils this happens around 10 to 15 degrees of attack. The lift doesn't all of a sudden vanish, it just gets smaller. Once stalled, as you increase the angle of attack your lift continues to get smaller until it is zero, which typically occurs when the wing is at 90 degrees angle of attack.

Additionally, higher angles of of attack (especially stalled wings) have a lot of drag. I think the reason many think stalled planes don't generate lift is because not only do they lose some lift but the plane slows rapidly, making matters worse. It may look as if you lost all your lift and you dropped like a rock, but you didn't. The lift may be too small to hold your plane at the same altitude so your plane falls, but some lift is still there.

In "3D", many maneuvers take advantage of stalled lift. The missing lift required to maintain altitude is provided by the prop. I haven't done wing tunnel tests, but I can see where it could be possible that the root area of the wing is not stalled in a harrier because of prop blast, but I gotta believe that the wingtips are stalled (hence wing rock in harriers) as they are not in the prop blast. I typically will do a harrier at about 30 degrees AOA or higher, tips almost gotta be stalled.

I've never heard the phrase EFE but the name does seem to describe better what for the most part we all (or at least I) call 3D flight. I kinda prefer EFE (how would you pronounce that? ee-fee?) to 3D... I'll have to start using it.

Hey Minn, isn't it funny that all heli guys are trying to fly helis like planes (KE, point rolls, etc.) and the plane guys (like me) are trying to fly planes like helis?