If lift is less than weight, the airplane will descend.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not determinable
• D. Only at high speed

Answer: (A)

Lift provides the upward force that counters gravity. In level flight these two forces balance. If lift is less than weight, gravity dominates, giving a net downward force. That means the airplane will start or continue to descend because there isn't enough upward force to hold it at the same altitude. As descent begins, the aircraft often gains airspeed, which can increase lift, potentially moving toward a new equilibrium, but the immediate effect of lift being less than weight is a descent. The statement isn’t limited to high speed, and it isn’t indeterminable, so those options don’t fit.