During an approach to a stall, how does an increased load factor affect the aircraft?

An increased load factor affects an aircraft's stall characteristics by requiring a higher stall speed, which means it stalls at a higher airspeed. The load factor is essentially the ratio of the aircraft's lift to its weight and increases during maneuvers such as turns or when flying at a higher angle of attack. When the load factor increases, the effective weight of the aircraft increases as well. Consequently, to maintain level flight and counteract this increased weight, the aircraft needs to generate additional lift, which results from increasing the airspeed.

In practical terms, when an aircraft experiences a higher load factor, the stall speed will be higher, meaning the pilot must ensure that they are operating above this new stall speed to maintain safe flight. This fundamental relationship between load factor and stall speed is critical for pilots to understand, especially during maneuvers that involve turns or any situation that increases the airplane's load factor.