Why Stalling Is Every Pilot’s Worst Nightmare

Air Force veteran recounts stressful experiences from close stall calls.

Friday, March 20, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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The author said, ‘Nothing happened for several seconds, then…wham! I was diving straight down in a violent spin. I had never seen a spin, let alone been in one.’ [Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

An Air Force electronics engineer learned to fly from an instructor, Major Auger, who rigorously drilled emergency recovery by instinctively pushing the stick forward.
The author credits Major Auger's training for enabling instinctive recovery from both an accidental spin and a severe wake turbulence incident during solo flights.
Based on these experiences, the author recommends pilots first aim the nose downward in unexpected emergencies and advocates for actual spin and unusual attitude recovery demonstrations for new students.

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During the Vietnam War, I served as an electronics engineer in the Air Force. I built and tested electronic gear for counterinsurgency warfare. I was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. I flew weekly on test flights and loved the adventure of flying in all the elderly bombers, fighters, and cargo planes.

My vision wasn’t good enough for flight training. That was probably for the best. I don’t have the fighter pilot personality. Fortunately for me, the base had a flying club equipped with a Cessna 150 for pilot training.