Getting Upset in a Jet

Pia Bergqvist

Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 06:38 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Upset recovery training at APS utilizes a full-motion simulator to safely teach pilots how to handle aircraft beyond their normal operating limits and recover from extreme attitudes.
Key lessons included understanding angle of attack's role in stalls, the need for decisive control inputs in upset situations, and the severe dangers of excessive rudder use, which can lead to catastrophic failure.
The training provides highly transferrable skills, demonstrating its critical value for all pilots, from commercial to general aviation, not just those flying aerobatic aircraft.

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This week, I had an opportunity to learn more about upset recovery training at APS Emergency Maneuvers Training at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in the southeastern edge of Mesa, Arizona. With temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, it was nice to step into the air-conditioned CAE full motion Level D ERJ 145 simulator at the Arizona State University campus across the street from the APS facility.

This type of training is valuable since it shows what can happen when an airplane goes beyond its design limits, while being in the safe environment of the sim. Not only is the stress of the unusual attitudes removed, the simulator can also be stopped at any time so that the instructor can explain in detail what is going on and how to properly correct the upset state with the least stress to the airplane.