From the Logbook: Stalls and Spins . . . a Mistake and a
Maneuver
© Jim Trusty 2008
The name and contact information
of an instructor that teaches spins in my area is at the
bottom of this article. I hope that you have one close to
your airport.
Before you take your next lesson,
Flight Review, or acquire your next certificate or rating,
why not have a talk with an instructor about doing some real
stalls and spins.
Not knowing how to do them does
not keep them from happening !!!!!!!
I still spin every student who
flies with me, if they ask, no matter the certificate or
rating, and I still teach exactly what a stall really is and
how little reaction it takes to change the outcome. We still
call them "landings at altitude."
First, let me remind you that the
airplane already knows how to fly and dearly wants to do so
if left alone without a sudden input from you. So, if the
airplane is intentionally put into a mistake (I do not
believe in inadvertent flight into anything), it rejects
what you are trying to do and it simply quits flying. It
sounds all its bells and whistles to let you know it cannot
proceed in this particular maneuver with this exact power
setting or configuration, and it demands immediate response
from you as the pilot.
I still teach both maneuvers on
the ground and in the air, and by the time a student has
successfully done a stall that intentionally led to a spin
and recovered from that maneuver, they can now converse
intelligently about the subject. It is not something they
saw on tape, read about, or that frightens them. A stall is
a mistake on the part of a pilot that CAN lead to a spin
which is a maneuver that a pilot, with proper training, can
fly out of.
I still teach both procedures at
altitude so that if a mistake is allowed to magnify itself,
the pilot can get out of it. I sincerely believe that
knowledge is king, or queen, when it comes to aviation.
Seeing it done will never replace doing it. I do not hold
myself out to be an aerobatics instructor nor do I consider
either maneuver to be particularly aerobatic if you simply
go right into it and get right out of it.
The actuality of doing both
maneuvers, more than once if required, is that nothing I
have ever used before makes a greater impression on the
student when it comes to pattern work, standard rate turns,
cross controlling, steep turns, power and pitch management,
and a half dozen other simple every day maneuvers. Nothing
gets and holds their attention more than a simple stall and
an even simpler spin. Private pilots end up doing three
complete turns to the left and three complete turns to the
right and have the knowledge to tell you what is going on at
any time before, during, and immediately after the spin. I
really think it makes for a better and more complete package
when used in primary training.
I have always done this for every
student who asked because of the total lack of knowledge
displayed by some instructor candidates when I get them.
Most have never done them, they are scared to death of them,
and they know 20 pilots who have died from doing them
(although they can't remember any names). Why can't we just
sign them off? Other instructors don't do them (again, no
names), and a multitude of other equally great excuses why
we should not stall and spin.
It makes for a great ground school
session or two or three, and teaches more about aerodynamics
than any other two maneuvers I can think of. What does an
airplane do when it stops flying? Why does it want to fall
to the right or left; which one it does favor and why? What
causes flat spins? Another discussion of weight and balance
comes into being about now--what can't spin, what shouldn't
spin, can yours spin. Watch the tape again, and get prepared
for the real thing--mentally, physically, and, more
importantly, aerodynamically.
Don't give me that stuff that they
are not required because they are unsafe. It just shows how
little you really know about the flying capabilities of your
own aircraft. Don't dare say they are scary or unsafe in
front of a real pilot. They were never meant to be a test of
any kind of the pilot's courage. It is a maneuver and it is
programmable as to what the outcome will be. If you are not
doing actual stalls and intentional spins, it may be because
you have forgotten, if you were ever actually taught.
The stall now and the spin now are
both as beautiful a maneuver as the lazy eight because
someone has finally published a book to show when an
aircraft stalls, when it spins, what causes it, how to
prevent it, and, if not, how to recover from it. No, it
wasn't Rod Machado. It's called the PTS (Practical Test
Standards). And, incidentally, I still teach spirals, too,
if I want to or feel they are something that will benefit my
student. Just because something is no longer a requirement
does not mean it has no further benefit.
If we want to get into a
discussion about safe and unsafe maneuvers, we should spend
a day or two talking about takeoffs and landings. Are they
the most unsafe maneuvers we do? Well, according to the
safety statistics, they are still responsible for almost 90%
of the accidents we have in trainers. Now, admit it.
Landings still bother you, don't they? I've never heard
pilots say they were going out to practice stalls and spins;
it's always takeoffs and landings. I guess this means they
feel they are already proficient in stalls and spins but
they can always use a little work on takeoffs and landings.
I feel that most of us just give
up completely on the recurrency and training part of the
program as soon as possible after being declared a pilot.
Don't fall for this if you want to live long and be an
accomplished pilot. It takes continuous, intensive practice
on your part each and every time you fly. Try something new
each flight and always be willing to go back and stay
current in those maneuvers seldom performed. Slow flight,
stalls and spins will extend your life as a pilot. Not
knowing how to do them does not keep them from happening.
Before you take your next lesson,
Flight Review, or acquire your next certificate or rating,
why not have a talk with an instructor about doing some real
stalls and spins. It never hurts to become more
knowledgeable. Keep asking until you find what you are
looking for, an instructor who can teach the fundamentals of
these maneuvers. They are out there.
In closing, think about the
following. Clearing turns are the most important maneuvers
we do on a daily basis and the most often forgotten. How
many degrees to the left and what to the right, or is it the
other way around? And what about the traffic behind you?
LOOK AND THEN MANEUVER. And here's a little tip for
you'anything will spin but not everything will recover! Will
yours?
I'll see you at the airport!
Always remember, pilots who don't fly have no advantage over
people who can't fly. What's your excuse?
Written permission from the author
required to reprint this copyrighted article. (2008)
JAMES E. (Jim) TRUSTY, ATP~CFI~IGI
was named the FAA/Aviation Industry National Flight
Instructor of the Year for 1997, and the first ever FAA
Southern Region Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year in
1995 and then again in 2005. He still works full-time as a
Corporate 135 Pilot~ "Gold Seal" Flight & Ground Instructor~
FAA Safety Team Program Lead Representative~ National
Aviation Magazine Writer. You have been enjoying his work
since 1973 in publications worldwide. If you have comments,
questions, complaints, or compliments, please e-mail them
directly to him, and he will certainly respond. Thanks. (Lrn2Fly@Bellsouth.Net)
Stay informed about upcoming FAA
Safety events. Register on (www.faasafety.gov)
JUST REMEMBER, ACCIDENTS ARE
CAUSED AND THEREFORE PREVENTABLE!
If I have peaked your interest in
this subject matter and you are fortunate enough to have an
instructor close by, as we do, then you can get some extra
training, or at least ask some intelligent questions'At
nearby Sewanee Tennessee (UOS) Ms Catherine Cavagnaro
teaches SPINS and all that goes with these aerodynamics. She
has the background, the knowledge, and the equipment to do a
great job. You can reach her at 931 636-8678, e-mail her at
Catherine@aceaerobaticschool.com
or take a look at her website. It is
http://www.aceaerobaticschool.com.
I hope you enjoy the training and
appreciate her efforts. It will make you a better pilot and
certainly a more proficient and knowledgeable instructor.
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