In Recovery

Rich Stowells articles on unusual attitude recoveries (Unusual Recoveries, June 2007; Unusual Recoveries II, July 2007) should be required reading for all CFIs. His analysis of the different spin recovery techniques was very well done. I have been instructing in aviation for 30+ years, both civilian and military, and it always amazes me how very experienced aviators know little about the dynamics of spins. One of my USAF students in T-37s had over 4000 hours and held both an ATP and CFII. He did very well until we got to spins. He didnt understand them and was terrified of them. It wasnt until the end of his T-37 training that he was finally able to master a spin recovery. The key was stopping what caused the spin in the first place: the yaw and stall. Thats what the NASA standard recovery does.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The NASA Standard recovery technique is highly recommended for spin recovery, especially for experimental aircraft, as many experienced pilots lack fundamental knowledge of spin dynamics.
Understanding the critical relationship between load factor, stall speed, and the wing's angle of attack is essential for aviation safety, particularly in high-G maneuvers or challenging environments like canyon flying.
Consolidation of Flight Service by Lockheed Martin has led to a perceived loss of valuable local briefing expertise, negatively impacting pilots' go/no-go decision-making and overall safety.

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Rich Stowells articles on unusual attitude recoveries (

Unusual Recoveries, June 2007; Unusual Recoveries II, July 2007) should be required reading for all CFIs. His analysis of the different spin recovery techniques was very well done. I have been instructing in aviation for 30+ years, both civilian and military, and it always amazes me how very experienced aviators know little about the dynamics of spins.

One of my USAF students in T-37s had over 4000 hours and held both an ATP and CFII. He did very well until we got to spins. He didnt understand them and was terrified of them. It wasnt until the end of his T-37 training that he was finally able to master a spin recovery. The key was stopping what caused the spin in the first place: the yaw and stall. Thats what the NASA standard recovery does.

Its very important to realize each airplane is going to react differently to recovery techniques. The neutral recovery and the hands-off recovery work okay for many certificated aircraft. However, we have a lot of Experimental aircraft showing up in the inventory; those two recoveries may not work on that nice composite single engine you just built. Chances are very good that the NASA Standard recovery will.