Originally Posted by Ignition Override
Isn't that the Slingsby Firefly? Let me add the caution that I never flew it, therefore my questions might have no validity on Pprune-among the many armchair experts.
The same trainer which caused a tragedy or two with the USAF Air Training Command, and was then rejected and replaced by the Pilatus T-6 "Texan" II ?
The Firefly supposedly had serious problems during spin recovery, unless my memory is fogged again late at night (not a Cat 3 memory, at best possibly RVR 1800 with bright ALSF).
More like 1/2 and 200.
I have flown with instructors who used to fly the Firefly in Texas for the USAF. They all loved it, and I know two of them who wanted to buy an example fron the US government. Politics and US product liability laws put paid to that idea, as the aircraft remain intact but dusty, never to be sold.
I fly a T67 regularly and have done spins left and right up to 7 turns. There's no problem with recovery if you use the correct procedure, which seems entirely conventional to me.
I refer anyone interested to the G-FORS AAIB report, which thoroughly re-examined the spin performance of the T67.
Many aerobatic aircraft obtain reputations as "beasts" in a totally unjustified way, as it's a statistical fact that doing more extreme manoevres, like aerobatics, is more likely to result in loss of control and an accident. Those aircraft approved for more extreme manoevres are therfore more likely to be involved because they are the only types doing this type of flying.