Some pilots challenge the notion that a so-called "coffin corner" exists for piston airplanes. You need only experience it to believe it. The term applies, of course, to the altitude at which a fixed-wing airplane's stall speed equals its critical Mach number. As such, it's a term usually reserved for jets. Piston drivers generally don't need to worry about Mach numbers, but we do need to at least think about what happens when we've climbed to an altitude at which engine power deteriorates to the point the airplane can't muster faster than indicated stall speed-and there's no more power available.
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