Beyond The Burble

Were going to do what?" Okay; I dont usually get quite that reaction when I discuss full aerodynamic stalls during a preflight brief with my students receiving checkouts, or flight reviews in high-performance aircraft. But you can see it in their eyes. Many pilots havent practiced full stalls since their private pilot checkride, and a large number of my students in 300-horsepower retractable singles-and especially light twins-have never stalled the airplane they currently fly. No wonder theres trepidation about a maneuver some have not flown in many years. No wonder stalls continue to take lift, and life, away. To reduce the chance a stall might go unrecognized or uncorrected, lets go back to what we learned in our early training, and build upon that knowledge to deal comfortably with what occurs beyond the first stall burble.

Key Takeaways:

• Stalls occur when the wing exceeds its critical angle of attack, not at a fixed airspeed, with recovery focusing on reducing AOA (often by relaxing back pressure) and adding power; roll control during a stall should primarily use rudder, not ailerons, to prevent worsening the condition.
• The most frequent and dangerous stall accidents happen during departure, go-arounds, or missed approaches, often exacerbated by high weight, aft center of gravity, or improper trim settings.
• Airframe contamination from frost or ice drastically and unpredictably alters stall characteristics, making them untrainable and requiring strict avoidance; regular, comprehensive training with an experienced instructor is vital for recognizing and recovering from stalls in various scenarios.

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