Think of the stick shaker/pusher found in transport-category aircraft as a bit of a lazy pilot’s angle of attack indicator. Should the flying pilot become distracted enough that they fail to notice an increasing angle of attack, to a point where the wing is about to cease producing sufficient lift, an airplane equipped with a shaker/pusher system will jump in to try to save the day by reducing the angle of attack. More precisely, the stick shaker acts as a stall-warning device, while the stick pusher’s job is one of stall avoidance.
How it Works: Stick Shaker/Pusher
Key Takeaways:
- Stick shaker/pusher systems are critical safety devices in transport aircraft designed for stall warning (shaker) and stall avoidance (pusher) by automatically reducing the angle of attack.
- The stick shaker vibrates the control wheel to alert the pilot when the angle of attack approaches a stall, while the stick pusher, if the warning is unheeded, physically pushes the control wheel forward to lower the aircraft's nose.
- These systems operate automatically regardless of altitude, can override pilot input to prevent a stall, and modern variations may integrate the autopilot computer for the pusher function.
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