TyroPicard
what would I like to see from Airbus?
Guidance in FCTM on upset recovery, particularly flight below Vs
Upset training
Actually, it's not that easy as there are a few obstacles - mainly because of mixed fleets and some resistance from the training departments ;
This is from one A.I bulletin :
..."
for us, an aircraft that is
out-of-trim, for whatever reason, should
be re-trimmed. Whereas the airline instructors
were against the use of trim
because of concerns over the possibility
of a pilot overtrimming and of trim runaways
which are particularly likely on
some older aircraft types which are still
in their fleets.
We spent a lot of time discussing the
use of elevator trim and we never
reached agreement. All the major US
airlines were adamant on their policy to
recover first using “primary controls”
which excluded any reference to trimming..."
About Stall Recovery
..."
To recover from a stall, the angle of attack
must be reduced below the stalling
angle. Apply nose down pitch control and
maintain it until stall recovery. Under
certain conditions with under-wing
mounted engines, it may be necessary to
reduce thrust to prevent the angle of
attack from continuing to increase...
Remember, in an upset situation,
if the airplane is stalled, it is first necessary to
recover from the stall before
initiating upset recovery techniques.
This is something that we are
well aware of in testing, but it
was either being totally ignored
or misunderstood..."
About Use Of Rudder (That's for
Dani, too !)
...
"We also spent a lot of time discussing
the use of rudder. The existing
training courses all emphasised
using rudder for roll control at low
speeds. It is true that the rudder remains
effective down to very low
speeds, and fighter pilots are
accustomed to using it
for “scissor”evasive manoeuvres
when flying not far fromthe stall. But large airliners,
with all the inertias that they possess,
are not like fighter aircraft. Based
on our experience as test pilots we are
very wary of using rudder close to the
stall. It is the best way to provoke a loss
of control if not used very carefully,
particularly with flaps out...
The whole article is an eye-opener...
As for the accident itself, so far I've remained the only one to mention the likely possibility of a major spatial disorientation which exacerbates the overall loss of SA...
Your thoughts ?