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The Light Airplane
Pilot's Guide to STALL/SPIN AWARENESS |
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Author: Rich Stowell
Rich Stowell's Aviation Learning Center |
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Internationally
Recognized Author
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2006 National
Flight Instructor of the Year
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Master
CFI-Aerobatic
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Member: NAFI,
IAC, EAA, AOPA
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Western-Pacific
Region CFI of the Year 1993
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National CFI of
the Year 2006
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IAC President's
Award -- 1994 & 2000
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30,000 Spins in
more than 170 single-engine aircraft
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BUY
NOW! Published January 2007 |
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"The Light Airplane
Pilot's Guide to
Stall/Spin Awareness
is an unparalleled
resource in the
flight training
industry. In our
courses of training,
we call this book
"The Stall/Spin
Bible". As a
minimum, every
single CFI in the
country needs to
read this book
cover-to-cover
followed immediately
with quality
hands-on flight
training."
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Paul BJ Ransbury,
President
APS Emergency
Maneuver Training
Master CFI-Aerobatic |
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APS
Emergency Maneuver Training
Jan 29, 2004 10:17:53
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| Another APS Emergency
Maneuver Training Exclusive! |
Because of our longstanding relationship with Master
Aerobatic Instructor Rich Stowell, only APS is to bring
to you the first published excerpt from Rich's upcoming
new book entitled, The Light Airplane Pilot's Guide to
STALL/SPIN AWARENESS. Please review this article and
participate in
our survey for a special APS newsletter member
offer.
The following
is excerpted from Chapter 1 of Rich's 20 Chapter
treatise, which is scheduled for publication later this
year (reprinted with permission, Copyright © 2004 by
Rich Stowell): |
Scope of
The Stall/Spin Awareness Problem |
"I know of only one area of ignorance
which was decreed by regulation and which government has
sponsored ever since - spin training." - Roger Boggs,
FAA Accident Investigation Staff (retired), testifying
on the subject of spin training before a Congressional
Subcommittee in 1980.
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In the decades following this scathing indictment, not
much has changed to reverse the steady erosion in the
theoretical and practical stall/spin knowledge of the
average pilot. As we move into our second century of
powered flight, examples of the systemic nature of our
stall/spin education problem abound: |
1990:A
new, 90-minute aviation videotape is released, 34
minutes of which is devoted to stalls and spins. The
reviewer for one aviation publication concludes that the
stall and spin sections are "the worst parts," claiming
they represent "private views [that] diverge from
current official doctrine." This even though the video
project's technical consultant was, among other things,
a former Lockheed test pilot and National Flight
Instructor of the Year. The Assistant Head, Flight
Research Branch, Flight Applications Division, at NASA
also reviewed the stall/spin portion of the script to
ensure it was consistent with NASA stall/spin research.
Actual spin test footage provided by NASA was inserted
into the videotape as well. Furthermore, key stall/spin
information in the presentation could be linked to
specific passages in AC 61-21A, the FAA's Flight
Training Handbook. |
1992:
A survey of 513 civilian flight instructors and 28
designated pilot examiners is published. Overall, the
instructors and examiners demonstrate marginal knowledge
about stall dynamics and unsatisfactory knowledge about
spin dynamics. In addition, ninety-eight percent note
that the spin training they received as part of flight
instructor certification consisted of no ground
instruction and a total of two spin entries.
Ninety-five percent received no training in
common scenarios that lead to inadvertent spins.
Ninety-four percent
did not understand airplane spin test
requirements or the limitations imposed as a result of
those tests. |
1997:
During an Internet discussion about spins in a popular
aviation newsgroup, an instructor who claims to have
done over a thousand spins repeatedly refers to the NASA
general aviation spin test program as "obscure" because
he's never heard of it. This in spite of an extensive
NASA program that encompassed nearly a decade, involved
four representative single-engine airplanes subjected to
many thousands of spin turns, and resulted in the
publication of more than 100 technical papers and
articles. The NASA program pushed leading edge cuff
technology as well-technology that would later appear on
the Lancair Columbia and the Cirrus SR-20/22. |
2002:
Commenting on a spin accident involving a
state-of-the-art airplane, a respected writer for a
prominent aviation magazine offered: "Just don't let
airspeed get below a safe value and stalls are not a
problem." This is a nonsensical statement indeed,
especially since pilots are constantly advised that
stalls can and do occur at any airspeed and in any
attitude. Given that many airplane flight manuals list a
host of different stall speeds corresponding to various
aircraft configurations, and given that the flight
environment is always changing, and given that pilots
continue to stall inadvertently at different airspeeds,
what exactly constitutes "a safe value" for airspeed? |
2002:
A newly-minted Private Pilot admits in an e-mail, "I
am uncomfortable flying alone because I did not receive
a lot of training dealing with spins and stalls.
Actually my only stall training was the day before my
check ride." The negligence of this pilot's flight
instructor is appalling; the ignorance of the Designated
Pilot Examiner, astounding. Sadly, too many pilots can
tell similar stories. |
Good information and training have always been
available. They just don't permeate general aviation.
Further illustrating this point, the FAA implemented
sweeping changes to stall/spin training requirements in
1991. Timed with these changes was publication of a
well-written Advisory Circular, AC 61-67B. But as the
earlier examples indicate, pilots have not been
receiving the stall/spin awareness training mandated by
the FAA. Moreover, fewer than ten percent of pilots
queried during a number of FAA safety seminars conducted
across the U.S. since 1991 have received a copy of
either AC 61-67B (or its current version, AC 61-67C) as
part of their stall/spin education. |
Learning to exercise better judgment is an important
part of the stall/spin awareness equation, too,
especially when it comes to avoiding scenarios that lead
to deadly stall/spin accidents. Yet good judgment often
evolves as a result of useful learning experiences. For
example, though many pilots might understand
intellectually that an airplane can stall at any
airspeed and in any attitude, their practical stall
experience usually consists of performing a contrived,
wings-level stall to a Practical Test Standard. |
Such limited stall experience, however, imparts little
practical experience vis-à-vis real-world stall/spin
accident scenarios. Consequently, too many pilots simply
don't realize how close they may be to spinning an
airplane when skidding a turn in the traffic pattern,
perhaps while attempting to return to the runway
following an engine failure on takeoff, or after
overshooting the turn onto final. Nor are pilots aware
how close they may be to a stall/spin departure when
performing that seemingly harmless buzz job or other
"dumb stunt" close to the ground. |
Most pilots probably spend less than five percent of
their total flight time practicing the art of slow
flight, reviewing critical flight operations, and
running through emergency procedures. It's clear,
however, that pilots need to practice these elements
with far more regularity. On average, pilots spend just
six percent of their flight time in the critical phases
associated with the traffic pattern-takeoff, initial
climb, approach, and landing. These phases, however,
account for a dramatically disproportionate fifty-seven
percent of aviation accidents. |
Whether or not pilots know how to recover from a spin is
a moot point in the majority of stall/spin
accidents-insufficient altitude remains for recovery
where inadvertent stall/spins are normally encountered.
But bona fide stall/spin training, though such training
might include performing intentional spins as part of
the overall training strategy, must also stress the
warning signs that precede inadvertent stall/spins. Once
learned, pilots must remain committed to practicing
their stall/spin awareness skills; otherwise, the
wherewithal to prevent an accidental spin departure will
be compromised. |
More Information: APS has a number of Rich's videos and
his Emergency Maneuver Training book in stock in
our pilot shop. We'll
also stock his new book as soon as it becomes available.
In the meantime, please give us feedback on your
interest in Rich's new book: |
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| APS's Training
Recommendations: |
| What is your best
defense in aircraft unusual attitude or upset conditions? |
1.First, attempt to avoid conditions that can induce
unusual attitudes in the first place. Steer clear of
thunderstorms and wake turbulence. Avoid IMC or flight
into low visibility conditions if not properly
certificated and trained. Avoid distractions.
2.Second, get the proper
training. According to an article in AW&ST (May 8, 1995
issue): "Training should include flights in aerobatic
aircraft to practice recovery techniques because no
simulator can model the disorientation of actually being
upside down... recurrent training every two years, with
time in an actual aircraft, would be a good start."
Regardless of the aircraft that you fly, proper training
will enable you to learn to react decisively in a
high-pressure environment, and to learn proper recovery
techniques to avoid a "panic" response that could worsen
the situation. |
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| Get this
training somewhere. The life you save may be more than just
your own. |
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| "The Aviation Performance
Solutions (APS) Emergency Maneuver Training program
is far more comprehensive than the majority of
'other' courses offered out there. In my opinion,
the equipment used by APS and the experience level
of its instructors are especially well-suited to the
corporate and airline training market." |
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Rich Stowell - NAFI Master CFI -
Aerobatic
Author: Emergency Maneuver Training:
Controlling Your Airplane During a Crisis |
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