What happens to lift as an aircraft increases its angle of attack?

As an aircraft increases its angle of attack, lift initially increases due to the greater angle of the wing interacting with the oncoming airflow, which increases the pressure differential between the upper and lower surfaces of the wing. This increase in lift continues up to a particular angle of attack known as the critical angle. Beyond this point, instead of continuing to increase, lift begins to decrease because the airflow separates from the wing's upper surface, leading to a stall condition. Therefore, the statement that lift increases until a threshold is reached, after which it decreases, accurately describes the behavior of lift in relation to angle of attack in the context of aerodynamics. Understanding this behavior is critical for pilots, as managing the angle of attack is vital for maintaining controlled flight.