Maneuvering Stalls

One of the first things primary students learn in their training is the relationship of airspeed to stalls. Unfortunately, the Primacy Law can take over, leaving some pilots with the unshakable belief stalls only can happen at stalling speed, either clean (VS/VS1) or in the landing configuration (VS0). Thats basically true in 1g flight but not if any additional loading is placed on the wings, as often is the case when were maneuvering. In that situation, stall speed increases, sometimes dramatically.

Key Takeaways:

• Stalls occur when the critical angle of attack is exceeded, not solely at a specific "stalling speed," meaning they can happen at much higher airspeeds during maneuvering flight.
• Any maneuver that imposes additional g-loading on the wings, such as steep turns, abrupt pull-ups, or turbulence, significantly increases the aircraft's stall speed.
• These "maneuvering stalls" are a major cause of fatal loss of control (LOC) accidents, often unexpected due to higher airspeeds, emphasizing the need for careful airspeed management and smooth control inputs during maneuvering.

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