Maneuvering Stalls

One of the first things primary students learn in their training is the relationship of airspeed to stalls. Unfortunately, the Primacy Law can take over, leaving some pilots with the unshakable belief stalls only can happen at stalling speed, either clean (VS/VS1) or in the landing configuration (VS0). Thats basically true in 1g flight but not if any additional loading is placed on the wings, as often is the case when were maneuvering. In that situation, stall speed increases, sometimes dramatically.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots often mistakenly believe stalls only occur at low airspeeds; however, a wing stalls by exceeding its critical angle of attack, which can happen at any airspeed, particularly with increased G-loading during maneuvering flight.
• "Accelerated" or "maneuvering" stalls significantly increase the risk of Loss of Control (LOC) accidents, often occurring unexpectedly at higher-than-normal airspeeds during actions like steep turns or abrupt pull-ups.
• To prevent maneuvering stalls, pilots must understand that stall speed increases with G-loading and manage airspeed and control inputs carefully, flying above the G-loaded stall speed but below the maneuvering speed (VA).

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