Unusual Recoveries, II

We compared the Neutral Recovery Controls and the Hands-Off methods of spin recovery to the tried-and-true NASA Standard recommendations in Part I of this series (June 2007). Well now look at recovery strategies for airplane upsets specifically involving excessive angles of bank. Since leading supporters of Neutral Recovery Controls steadfastly maintain the method works in any attitude and in any airplane, well compare this strategy as well as the instinctive Split-S reaction (i.e., "Just pull, baby!") to a more traditional roll recovery as embodied in the Power-Push-Roll procedure.

Key Takeaways:

• The article evaluates various aircraft upset recovery methods for scenarios involving excessive bank, concluding that the traditional "Power-Push-Roll" technique consistently outperformed "Neutral Recovery Controls" and the instinctive "Split-S" method.
• In simulated upset scenarios (descending spirals, wake encounters, botched inverted flight), alternative methods often failed to recover the aircraft, significantly increased altitude loss, induced dangerous accelerated stalls, and caused adverse physiological effects on pilots.
• The findings highlight the enduring effectiveness of traditional recovery methods across different aircraft types and emphasize the critical need for early recognition and comprehensive, scenario-based flight training over unproven or "simplified" new techniques.

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