As the angle of bank is increased in flight, what happens to the vertical component of lift?

When the angle of bank is increased during flight, the vertical component of lift actually decreases. This is because an increased bank angle causes the lift vector, which is perpendicular to the wings, to tilt. As the bank angle increases, the lift vector is split into two components: one acting vertically (the vertical component of lift) and the other acting horizontally (the horizontal component of lift, which contributes to the turn).

At a greater bank angle, more of the lift is directed towards the horizontal component needed to maintain a turning radius rather than supporting the aircraft's weight against gravity. Consequently, the vertical component of lift, which is responsible for counteracting the aircraft’s weight, is reduced. If the bank angle becomes too high without sufficient increase in total lift, the aircraft risks losing altitude.

Thus, with a higher bank angle, the vertical lift component decreases due to this redistribution of lift forces, confirming that the correct answer is that it decreases.