| Spin Training |
***From Stalls, Spins, and Safety by Sammy Mason***
The tail surfaces are all that are identifiable. The twisted and battered wings protrude from a blackened mass of
melted aluminum. The engine and the mangled propeller have been shoved into the cockpit area by the
authoritative hand of gravity.
The stall and spin and the resultant loss of life were inadvertent. The pilot of this airplane and the unwary friends
aboard anticipated only the pleasure of flight, not the termination of their lives.
Only trained reactions and an educated basic intelligence can protect our fragile lives within the realm of flight.
Pilots must not only be trained in the skillful manipulation of the controls but also know the deceptive areas of flight
where they might become unwilling victims.
The essence of good basic flight training is to provide pilots with a protective armor of knowledge about-and
dependable motor reactions to potential hazards in their incipient stages.
A pilot need not be haunted by a lack of confidence and by uncertain reactions. With a properly trained pilot, flying
is a reasonably safe mode of transportation. It is certainly the most pleasurable. However, as with any other form
of transportation, it is only as safe as the individual at the controls.
AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM
Unfortunately, the undesirable and often unexpected maneuver that killed many pioneer aviators is still killing
pilots today. Most modern airplanes are spinnable. The knowledge and skill of the pilot should always match the
airplane that is being flown. Because most airplanes are spinnable, spin training should be included in the
preparation and licensing of pilots.
Some feel that more lives would be lost because spin training in itself is hazardous. This is true only because of
the improper training of flight instructors. If all flight instructors were properly trained, spin training could be carried
out with a high degree of safety. Properly implemented, spin training would undoubtedly save many lives. Also,
there is a moral aspect to be considered. It seems criminal to license a pilot who has never experienced a spin to
carry passengers. Far too many pilots experience their first spin at an altitude from which they are too low to
recover.
UNNECESSARY FEAR BREEDS INCOMPETENCE
The fear of spins is understandable. We all fear the unknown. However, a good instructor can guide students
through this initial fear and expose them to spins early in their flight training. It is senseless to continue flying with a
fear that can be overcome in such a short time.
Pilots who have not been trained in spins and the recognition of incipient conditions from which inadvertent spins
emerge develop grotesque flying habits. For example, they tend to fly their approaches with excessive speed,
often overshooting runways and either colliding with obstructions at the end of the runway or attempting a last
minute go-around, necessitating a steep climb at low speed to clear obstructions. Many accidental spins have
been the result of aborted landings that were prompted by panic and incompetence.
Some feel that all that is needed is training in the manner in which inadvertent spins develop so that pilots will
learn to avoid those conditions. They argue that there is no need to expose pilots to spins if they know how to
avoid them.
This approach to the problem reveals a misunderstanding of how inadvertent spins develop. Simply knowing how
to avoid a spin may not prevent a pilot from entering one when distracted by other things.
SPINS EVOLVING FROM ROUTINE FLIGHT SITUATIONS
Stall/Spin accidents occur more frequently than they should, and from everyday flight situations common to normal
aircraft utilization.
The answer is not more knowledge, although this is important. Avoiding accidental spins cannot be accomplished
through knowledge alone, any more than thinking about placing one foot ahead of the other will improve your
ability to walk. The pilot who must devote excessive thought to the manipulation of the controls and maintaining
proper flight attitudes has not yet learned to fly well enough. Deciding to not get anywhere near the stall is not the
answer. Flying at high angles of attack is part of normal aircraft utilization. Short-field operations, for example,
require approaches at minimum speed.
While flying at minimum speed, we might be required to make a sudden pull up, steep turn, or combination of both
to avoid other traffic while on final approach. Or we might have to abort a landing well down the runway and pull up
steeply at low speed to avoid hitting an obstacle. We may plan and hope that we never become involved in such
situations, but flights do not always go according to plans. We must be able to fly an airplane through the
complete range of its capabilities, and be able to do it instinctively.
Training in the conditions leading up to a spin and being able to recognize warnings that a spin is about to occur
are important and should be a part of a pilot's stall/spin education, but these aspects are only part of the answer.
The conditions leading up to the spin may be so completely camouflaged by other factors that demand attention
that the pilot may not become aware of them.
Even experienced pilots have become stall/spin victims after complex emergency situations trapped them into
hitting the ground in uncontrolled flight.
The answer is more thorough flight training, the type of training that gives one the ability to fly within the realm of a
potential stall or spin instinctively and safely.
Incipient stalls and spins are common as acrobatic pilots practice their maneuvers. However, their recoveries are
so instant and automatic that the incipient stalls and spins are scarcely recognizable. All the conditions may exist
for a spin, but a touch of rudder and a flick of the wrist prevent even a small bobble in an attempted maneuver.
SPINS WITHOUT WARNING
The aerodynamic buffeting that is experienced during stall practice will probably not exist during an inadvertent
spin entry. During a ball-centered stall, most wings will stall at the root section first. Because the tail of the airplane
is directly behind the root section of the wing, the pilot can feel this disturbance, which results when the turbulent
air strikes the tail. However, when the ball is not centered and the nose of the airplane is yawed one way or
another, a spanwise flow of air causes the wing to stall in a different manner and the initial stall occurs at or near
the wing tip. When the stall is excited at one of the wing tips, a quick spin entry without the benefit of stall buffet
warning may occur. There is nothing behind the wing tip for the disturbed air to buffet against. A stall from yawed
flight usually results in at least the start of a spin.
As I was writing this portion of the book, I began to wonder whether it was possible to enter a spin without sounding
the stall warning. I selected a Cessna Aerobat in which the stall warning was set to go off very close to the stall.
Sure enough, after a little experimentation, I was able to enter a spin without actuating the warning. The stall
warning port was located on the left wing. By spinning to the right I avoided actuating the warning.
It is evident that in the absence of buffet or audible warning or through unawareness of warnings because of
distractions, the first indication of trouble may be the spin itself. How well the pilot flies the airplane at this moment
may mean the difference between life and death.
The stall that results in instant-spin aerodynamics also produces instant- spin dynamics. In other words, the yaw
and roll that are common to spins are present at the onset.
The more pilots are exposed to these dynamics and correct for them, the better they will be able to recognize and
react to them. The full dynamics of a spin can only be experienced when the spin is fully developed.
EXERCISING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SKILLS
Flying involves mental and physical skills that must be exercised simultaneously. The flight instructor is the coach
who should encourage the exercises that develop these abilities.
Race drivers who have never experienced spinouts endanger themselves and other drivers on the track. Going
into the first turn in a competitive pack of cars, they can be the catalyst that activates a massive pileup.
Drivers who have practiced recovering from fully developed spinouts on slick pans have developed the reflexes
that cause them to react instantly and skillfully when they sense an incipient spinout while rounding a curve within
inches of other cars.
Flying skills are best developed when we practice maneuvers that stretch our ability. Our goal should be a
proficiency adequate to any situation that we might face while pilot in command. I recognize that on rare occasions
pilots are faced with impossible situations which are beyond human skills. However, this isn't the reason for most
accidents. Most accidents are preventable. They are usually the result of a pilot's inability to think and fly the
airplane at the same time. Often, simple distractions result in serious accidents.
I recommend not only spin training, but also a course in basic aerobatics. An airplane is an all-attitude vehicle, and
pilots should be able to recover from any attitude. The elimination of unnecessary fears and the confidence
gained will add to the pleasure of flying.
THE HAZARDS
The first step in flying safely is to have a thorough understanding of the hazards involved. You should know from
the outset that most conventional airplanes are capable of spinning under the right circumstances. You should
also know that most airplanes are not approved for intentional spins. The placards that read "Intentional spins
prohibited" mean one of two things: either the airplane has not been spin-tested, or its spin characteristics have
been observed only in their very early stages of development.
An airplane is an expression of freedom. It permits humans to ascend heavenward before they permanently leave
their earthly station behind. However, a lack of training and knowledge can expedite their permanent departure.
Flying might be compared to a bug in a bun. It's perfectly safe until it's exposed to the teeth of the unexpected.
The unexpected might be expressed as the sinister shadow that is reflected by complacent familiarity. The feel of
controls that always respond, the soothing sound of an engine that has never failed, and the accumulated hours
of uneventful flying that magnify each moment of deceptive intimacy provide a very fickle fortress against any
deviation from characteristic routine.
If we spend enough time in a rocking chair, we become incapable of reacting property to even the minor
disturbances of life. Vital living demands a constant expansion of the abilities of mind and body. So it is with flying.
Real flying skills are developed through exercises that constantly stretch our abilities.
Even the simplest of flying tasks can be performed better if we have been involved in more complex exercises. For
example, those who have been exposed to aerobatics feel perfectly comfortable in turbulence that might unnerve
the pilot who never exceeds 30° of bank.
You never know when extra flying skills will come in handy. A friend of mine, Johnny Miller, suddenly found himself
with a jammed elevator control after a midair collision. As the nose of the airplane pitched upwards, he rolled the
airplane into a steep bank and, by the use of top rudder, entered a severe sideslip. He was able to control the
nose attitude by the use of top and bottom rudder. When he hit the ground in a dry riverbed, the low wing
absorbed most of the shock, and he walked away from the wreckage. I wonder how many pilots know that you can
control nose attitude by rolling into a slip and using the rudder in place of the elevators? Johnny exhibited a really
slick bit of flying, but he was ready for the unexpected because he had exercised his skills beyond that which is
normally expected.
Just practicing stalls and spins will not provide all of the immunization you may need against abnormal flight
behavior. A course in basic aerobatics is an excellent insurance policy against unusual and unexpected attitudes.
Flying is fun, but many pilots miss out on the greatest satisfaction of flying, and that is accepting the challenge of
increasing and maintaining flying skills. Those who maintain only limited skills will be constantly haunted by the
knowledge that they may suddenly and unexpectedly be called upon to do more than they are capable of. This
fear is an unnecessary burden for pilots to bear. It can be eliminated with a little effort.
The tail surfaces are all that are identifiable. The twisted and battered wings protrude from a blackened mass of
melted aluminum. The engine and the mangled propeller have been shoved into the cockpit area by the
authoritative hand of gravity.
The stall and spin and the resultant loss of life were inadvertent. The pilot of this airplane and the unwary friends
aboard anticipated only the pleasure of flight, not the termination of their lives.
Only trained reactions and an educated basic intelligence can protect our fragile lives within the realm of flight.
Pilots must not only be trained in the skillful manipulation of the controls but also know the deceptive areas of flight
where they might become unwilling victims.
The essence of good basic flight training is to provide pilots with a protective armor of knowledge about-and
dependable motor reactions to potential hazards in their incipient stages.
A pilot need not be haunted by a lack of confidence and by uncertain reactions. With a properly trained pilot, flying
is a reasonably safe mode of transportation. It is certainly the most pleasurable. However, as with any other form
of transportation, it is only as safe as the individual at the controls.
AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM
Unfortunately, the undesirable and often unexpected maneuver that killed many pioneer aviators is still killing
pilots today. Most modern airplanes are spinnable. The knowledge and skill of the pilot should always match the
airplane that is being flown. Because most airplanes are spinnable, spin training should be included in the
preparation and licensing of pilots.
Some feel that more lives would be lost because spin training in itself is hazardous. This is true only because of
the improper training of flight instructors. If all flight instructors were properly trained, spin training could be carried
out with a high degree of safety. Properly implemented, spin training would undoubtedly save many lives. Also,
there is a moral aspect to be considered. It seems criminal to license a pilot who has never experienced a spin to
carry passengers. Far too many pilots experience their first spin at an altitude from which they are too low to
recover.
UNNECESSARY FEAR BREEDS INCOMPETENCE
The fear of spins is understandable. We all fear the unknown. However, a good instructor can guide students
through this initial fear and expose them to spins early in their flight training. It is senseless to continue flying with a
fear that can be overcome in such a short time.
Pilots who have not been trained in spins and the recognition of incipient conditions from which inadvertent spins
emerge develop grotesque flying habits. For example, they tend to fly their approaches with excessive speed,
often overshooting runways and either colliding with obstructions at the end of the runway or attempting a last
minute go-around, necessitating a steep climb at low speed to clear obstructions. Many accidental spins have
been the result of aborted landings that were prompted by panic and incompetence.
Some feel that all that is needed is training in the manner in which inadvertent spins develop so that pilots will
learn to avoid those conditions. They argue that there is no need to expose pilots to spins if they know how to
avoid them.
This approach to the problem reveals a misunderstanding of how inadvertent spins develop. Simply knowing how
to avoid a spin may not prevent a pilot from entering one when distracted by other things.
SPINS EVOLVING FROM ROUTINE FLIGHT SITUATIONS
Stall/Spin accidents occur more frequently than they should, and from everyday flight situations common to normal
aircraft utilization.
The answer is not more knowledge, although this is important. Avoiding accidental spins cannot be accomplished
through knowledge alone, any more than thinking about placing one foot ahead of the other will improve your
ability to walk. The pilot who must devote excessive thought to the manipulation of the controls and maintaining
proper flight attitudes has not yet learned to fly well enough. Deciding to not get anywhere near the stall is not the
answer. Flying at high angles of attack is part of normal aircraft utilization. Short-field operations, for example,
require approaches at minimum speed.
While flying at minimum speed, we might be required to make a sudden pull up, steep turn, or combination of both
to avoid other traffic while on final approach. Or we might have to abort a landing well down the runway and pull up
steeply at low speed to avoid hitting an obstacle. We may plan and hope that we never become involved in such
situations, but flights do not always go according to plans. We must be able to fly an airplane through the
complete range of its capabilities, and be able to do it instinctively.
Training in the conditions leading up to a spin and being able to recognize warnings that a spin is about to occur
are important and should be a part of a pilot's stall/spin education, but these aspects are only part of the answer.
The conditions leading up to the spin may be so completely camouflaged by other factors that demand attention
that the pilot may not become aware of them.
Even experienced pilots have become stall/spin victims after complex emergency situations trapped them into
hitting the ground in uncontrolled flight.
The answer is more thorough flight training, the type of training that gives one the ability to fly within the realm of a
potential stall or spin instinctively and safely.
Incipient stalls and spins are common as acrobatic pilots practice their maneuvers. However, their recoveries are
so instant and automatic that the incipient stalls and spins are scarcely recognizable. All the conditions may exist
for a spin, but a touch of rudder and a flick of the wrist prevent even a small bobble in an attempted maneuver.
SPINS WITHOUT WARNING
The aerodynamic buffeting that is experienced during stall practice will probably not exist during an inadvertent
spin entry. During a ball-centered stall, most wings will stall at the root section first. Because the tail of the airplane
is directly behind the root section of the wing, the pilot can feel this disturbance, which results when the turbulent
air strikes the tail. However, when the ball is not centered and the nose of the airplane is yawed one way or
another, a spanwise flow of air causes the wing to stall in a different manner and the initial stall occurs at or near
the wing tip. When the stall is excited at one of the wing tips, a quick spin entry without the benefit of stall buffet
warning may occur. There is nothing behind the wing tip for the disturbed air to buffet against. A stall from yawed
flight usually results in at least the start of a spin.
As I was writing this portion of the book, I began to wonder whether it was possible to enter a spin without sounding
the stall warning. I selected a Cessna Aerobat in which the stall warning was set to go off very close to the stall.
Sure enough, after a little experimentation, I was able to enter a spin without actuating the warning. The stall
warning port was located on the left wing. By spinning to the right I avoided actuating the warning.
It is evident that in the absence of buffet or audible warning or through unawareness of warnings because of
distractions, the first indication of trouble may be the spin itself. How well the pilot flies the airplane at this moment
may mean the difference between life and death.
The stall that results in instant-spin aerodynamics also produces instant- spin dynamics. In other words, the yaw
and roll that are common to spins are present at the onset.
The more pilots are exposed to these dynamics and correct for them, the better they will be able to recognize and
react to them. The full dynamics of a spin can only be experienced when the spin is fully developed.
EXERCISING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SKILLS
Flying involves mental and physical skills that must be exercised simultaneously. The flight instructor is the coach
who should encourage the exercises that develop these abilities.
Race drivers who have never experienced spinouts endanger themselves and other drivers on the track. Going
into the first turn in a competitive pack of cars, they can be the catalyst that activates a massive pileup.
Drivers who have practiced recovering from fully developed spinouts on slick pans have developed the reflexes
that cause them to react instantly and skillfully when they sense an incipient spinout while rounding a curve within
inches of other cars.
Flying skills are best developed when we practice maneuvers that stretch our ability. Our goal should be a
proficiency adequate to any situation that we might face while pilot in command. I recognize that on rare occasions
pilots are faced with impossible situations which are beyond human skills. However, this isn't the reason for most
accidents. Most accidents are preventable. They are usually the result of a pilot's inability to think and fly the
airplane at the same time. Often, simple distractions result in serious accidents.
I recommend not only spin training, but also a course in basic aerobatics. An airplane is an all-attitude vehicle, and
pilots should be able to recover from any attitude. The elimination of unnecessary fears and the confidence
gained will add to the pleasure of flying.
THE HAZARDS
The first step in flying safely is to have a thorough understanding of the hazards involved. You should know from
the outset that most conventional airplanes are capable of spinning under the right circumstances. You should
also know that most airplanes are not approved for intentional spins. The placards that read "Intentional spins
prohibited" mean one of two things: either the airplane has not been spin-tested, or its spin characteristics have
been observed only in their very early stages of development.
An airplane is an expression of freedom. It permits humans to ascend heavenward before they permanently leave
their earthly station behind. However, a lack of training and knowledge can expedite their permanent departure.
Flying might be compared to a bug in a bun. It's perfectly safe until it's exposed to the teeth of the unexpected.
The unexpected might be expressed as the sinister shadow that is reflected by complacent familiarity. The feel of
controls that always respond, the soothing sound of an engine that has never failed, and the accumulated hours
of uneventful flying that magnify each moment of deceptive intimacy provide a very fickle fortress against any
deviation from characteristic routine.
If we spend enough time in a rocking chair, we become incapable of reacting property to even the minor
disturbances of life. Vital living demands a constant expansion of the abilities of mind and body. So it is with flying.
Real flying skills are developed through exercises that constantly stretch our abilities.
Even the simplest of flying tasks can be performed better if we have been involved in more complex exercises. For
example, those who have been exposed to aerobatics feel perfectly comfortable in turbulence that might unnerve
the pilot who never exceeds 30° of bank.
You never know when extra flying skills will come in handy. A friend of mine, Johnny Miller, suddenly found himself
with a jammed elevator control after a midair collision. As the nose of the airplane pitched upwards, he rolled the
airplane into a steep bank and, by the use of top rudder, entered a severe sideslip. He was able to control the
nose attitude by the use of top and bottom rudder. When he hit the ground in a dry riverbed, the low wing
absorbed most of the shock, and he walked away from the wreckage. I wonder how many pilots know that you can
control nose attitude by rolling into a slip and using the rudder in place of the elevators? Johnny exhibited a really
slick bit of flying, but he was ready for the unexpected because he had exercised his skills beyond that which is
normally expected.
Just practicing stalls and spins will not provide all of the immunization you may need against abnormal flight
behavior. A course in basic aerobatics is an excellent insurance policy against unusual and unexpected attitudes.
Flying is fun, but many pilots miss out on the greatest satisfaction of flying, and that is accepting the challenge of
increasing and maintaining flying skills. Those who maintain only limited skills will be constantly haunted by the
knowledge that they may suddenly and unexpectedly be called upon to do more than they are capable of. This
fear is an unnecessary burden for pilots to bear. It can be eliminated with a little effort.