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I Learned About Flying From That: Hands-Off Spin Recovery

Spin recovery Art by Barry Ross
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • During solo stall practice, the author unexpectedly entered a spin due to an incorrect aircraft configuration (flaps extended for a full-power departure stall).
  • Panicked, the pilot trusted his instructor's advice and released the controls, allowing the stable Cessna 150 to successfully self-recover from the spin.
  • The experience highlighted the critical importance of correct aircraft configuration for maneuvers and the safety benefit of practicing air work at higher altitudes.
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JUNE 2010 — THE SKY WAS CLOUDLESS and the air crisp as I drove to the Ann Arbor, Michigan, airport on a glorious spring morning. I’d flown almost 30 hours as a student pilot and had no idea I was about to experience my first spin while flying alone in my flight school’s aged Cessna 150 trainer.

I never enjoyed practicing slow flight and stalls, but I knew I had to understand how an airplane flew at the edge of its performance envelope. So today I was going to practice departure and approach stalls on my own.

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