Not disagreeing with my learned colleagues, particularly my friend DAR, but...
Originally Posted by
scifi
During one Bi-annual check-ride, the instructor asked for a 'Stall in the Landing Configuration'. I explained that this was a Cessna 172 and that it hadn't ever done stalls in the landing configuration.
Every aeroplane is stalled in flight testing for certification, in every configuration that can be achieved.
Stalling in the landing configuration is certainly here in Britain, quite often flown in aeroplane checkouts.
However he asked for me to set up the airplane, which I did... 75 knots, two stages of flap, and about 700ft/m rate of descent. I said my previous instructors had done 'Stalls with Flaps', but had never mentioned Landing Configuration.
If it's configured as for landing, it's in the landing configuration. The English language is a marvellous thing.
Anyway we tried, but as long as we held 75knots / -700ft/m, there was no way the C172 was ever going to stall. We even tried 60 degree banked turns, but still no stalls...... We then went on to do some other exercises.
Here's the wording in FAR-23, which is the certification standard which was used to certify the C172 (by bold).
Sec. 23.201 Wings level stall.
(a) It must be possible to produce and to correct roll by unreversed
use of the rolling control and to produce and to correct yaw by
unreversed use of the directional control, up to the time the airplane
stalls.
(b) The wings level stall characteristics must be demonstrated in
flight as follows. Starting from a speed at least 10 knots above the
stall speed, the elevator control must be pulled back so that the rate
of speed reduction will not exceed one knot per second until a stall is
produced, as shown by either:
(1) An uncontrollable downward pitching motion of the airplane;
(2) A downward pitching motion of the airplane that results from the
activation of a stall avoidance device (for example, stick pusher); or
(3) The control reaching the stop.
(c) Normal use of elevator control for recovery is allowed after the
downward pitching motion of paragraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section
has unmistakably been produced, or after the control has been held
against the stop for not less than the longer of two seconds or the time
employed in the minimum steady slight speed determination of Sec.
23.49.
(d) During the entry into and the recovery from the maneuver, it
must be possible to prevent more than 15 degrees of roll or yaw by the
normal use of controls.
(e) Compliance with the requirements of this section must be shown
under the following conditions:
(1) Wing flaps. Retracted, fully extended, and each intermediate
normal operating position.
(2) Landing gear. Retracted and extended.
(3) Cowl flaps. Appropriate to configuration.
(4) Power:
(i) Power off; and
(ii) 75 percent of maximum continuous power. However, if the power-
to-weight ratio at 75 percent of maximum continuous power result in
extreme nose-up attitudes, the test may be carried out with the power
required for level flight in the landing configuration at maximum
landing weight and a speed of 1.4 V<INF>SO</INF>, except that the power
may not be less than 50 percent of maximum continuous power.
(5) Trim. The airplane trimmed at a speed as near 1.5 V<INF>S1</INF>
as practicable.
(6) Propeller. Full increase r.p.m. position for the power off
condition.
Full back stick, unable to pitch up more, that's a stall as defined in the regulations. Full flap, extended gear (if you have extendable gear), power at pretty much anything between idle and 75% or full power, that's there too.
I think that, just possibly, the instructor might have known more than you did chap.
Also, if you're nervous of stalling a C172 with full flap, I'd suggest never ever even contemplating flying a PA38 without a grown up sat next to you!
G