LOC Recoveries

Unusual attitude recovery is a standard part of the FAA checkride for nearly every rating, plus flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks. Pilots dutifully don a hood, put their heads down as an instructor or examiner puts the airplane through a few gyrations and then says, Youve got it. The pilot looks up to see that the airplane is either in a nose-low or nose-high bank and usually makes a power change to help control speed, levels the wings and returns the nose to the horizon before something breaks. A check is placed in the unusual attitudes box and the pilot and instructor move on to other tasks.

rdurden

Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Current "unusual attitude recovery" training is insufficient, failing to curb high Loss of Control (LOC) accident rates due to its simplistic, check-the-box nature.
The article advocates for comprehensive "LOC recovery training" that includes identifying risk factors, addressing the pilot's startle response, teaching diverse recovery strategies, and managing the aircraft after initial recovery.
Effective LOC training should incorporate ground instruction on underlying aerodynamics and risk, realistic in-flight simulations (with surprise elements and appropriate aircraft), and strategic use of simulators despite their G-force limitations.

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Unusual attitude recovery is a standard part of the FAA checkride for nearly every rating, plus flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks. Pilots dutifully don a hood, put their heads down as an instructor or examiner puts the airplane through a few gyrations and then says, “You’ve got it.” The pilot looks up to see that the airplane is either in a nose-low or nose-high bank and usually makes a power change to help control speed, levels the wings and returns the nose to the horizon before something breaks. A check is placed in the unusual attitudes box and the pilot and instructor move on to other tasks.