12 Myths about
Stalls & Spins
Checked out from the Members Only Library
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
www.SafePilots.org
Created by Rich Stowell, MCFI-A, SAFE #0002
Copyright © 2010 by Rich Stowell
(This presentation contains instructor notes for use in
presentation.)
The following presentation has been donated to the SAFE Library for educational use by
SAFE Members. Permission for any other use must be coordinated directly with the author:
[email protected], 805-218-0161
12 Myths about
Stalls & Spins
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Rich Stowell, Master CFI-Aerobatic
2006 Flight Instructor of the Year
Myth #1

Flying too slowly causes stalls
– Angle of attack is key
– Airspeed by itself is useless
– Reinforced by the wings-level, one-g
stalls practiced for check rides
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Myth #2

Stalls cause spins
– Two elements needed: stall & yaw
– Neither stalling nor yawing alone
will result in spinning
– Simultaneously stalling with
sufficient yawing drives the spin
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Myth #3

All cross-controlled flight increases
your stall / spin potential
– Two basic flavors: skids & slips
– Skids = higher stall / spin potential
– Slips = lower stall / spin potential
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Myth #4

If you inadvertently stall or spin,
just let go of the controls
– Auto-recovery may sometimes occur
in the early stages
– Later in the process or under
different conditions, however, this
may not result in recovery at all
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Myth #4
– Letting go during a surprise stall /
spin is not a natural instinct
– Clutching the stick or yoke is a more
common reaction
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Myth #4
– Majority of stall / spin accidents occur
at or below traffic pattern altitude
– More altitude may be lost compared
to prompt application of recovery
controls
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Myth #5

During recovery from upright spins,
the elevator control should not be
moved forward until rotation ceases
– Stems from misinterpretation of
landmark NACA Spin Recovery
Procedure published in 1936
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Myth #5
– “After the lapse of appreciable time,
say after at [least] one-half additional
turn … briskly move the elevator…”
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Myth #5
– 105°/sec, “lapse” = 1.7 seconds
– 135°/sec, “lapse” = 1.3 seconds
– 180°/sec, “lapse” = 1.0 seconds
– 220°/sec, “lapse” = 0.8 seconds
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Myth #5
– Opposite rudder alone may effect
recovery in some cases, but may not
be sufficient by itself in other cases
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Myth #5
– Don’t rely on opposite rudder alone
– Expect full opposite rudder followed
by forward elevator to stop spinning
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Myth #6

During spins, the slip / skid
indicator shows spin direction
– The slip / skid ball is unreliable
when spinning
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Myth #6
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Myth #6
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Myth #7

The longer an airplane stays in a
spin, the more airspeed it gains
and the faster it rotates
– High Drag maneuver
– Airspeed stabilizes at a low &
constant value
– Rate of rotation eventually stabilizes
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Myth #8

The longer an airplane stays in a
spin, the greater the chance of
structural damage
– Upright spins are about one-g
– Significant g could be imposed
during pullout
– Pilot must manage g to stay within
design limits
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Myth #9

Since most accidental spins occur
too low for recovery, spin training
is a useless exercise
– Typical stall / spin accident not a
sudden, random event
– Largely a pilot-driven process
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Myth #9
– Stall / spins have warning signs
– Scenario-based training provides
awareness & skill to prevent
accidental spins in the first place
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Myth #10

Pilots with more experience are
better at avoiding fatal stall /
spins than pilots with less
experience
– Students pilot = 15% of pilot
population
– Involved in only 4% percent of fatal
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stall / spins (better than ATPs!)
Myth #10
– Private & commercial pilots = 61%
of pilot population
– Involved in 83% of fatal stall / spins
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Myth #11

As a whole, flight instructors are
well qualified to teach stalls and
spins
– CFIs tend not to be well trained in
stall / spin dynamics
– CFIs tend not to have sufficient
hands-on experience to conduct safe,
meaningful stall / spin training
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Myth #12

Spins can be hard on an airplane’s
gyro instruments
– Senior gyroscope technicians at TGH
Aviation in Auburn, CA report no
additional wear factors on either
attitude gyros or directional gyros
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For More Information
Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
www.SafePilots.org
Rich Stowell, [email protected]
www.RichStowell.com