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

Spin recovery Art by Barry Ross
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A student pilot unexpectedly experienced two spins during solo stall practice in a Cessna 150, recovering each time by releasing the controls based on prior instructor advice.
  • The spins were caused by an incorrect aircraft configuration; the pilot had flaps extended while attempting full-power departure stalls, leading to an uncommanded spin.
  • The experience underscored the Cessna 150's stability and forgiveness, the critical importance of proper aircraft configuration for specific maneuvers, and the value of high altitude as a safety buffer.
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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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