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.

Key Takeaways:

• Current "unusual attitude recovery" training is insufficient, as evidenced by persistent loss of control (LOC) accidents, failing to prepare pilots for real-world upsets effectively.
• The article advocates for a comprehensive "LOC recovery training" that moves beyond basic maneuvers to address the "why" of LOC, risk factors (e.g., automation, environment, startle), and the need for adaptable recovery strategies.
• This enhanced training should involve ground instruction on aerodynamics, high-risk scenarios, and the necessity of full control deflection, alongside practical flight exercises.
• Flight training should include realistic, surprising scenarios, practice with full control deflections, and strategies for continuing flight with an impaired aircraft, ideally conducted in an airframe similar to what pilots typically fly.

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