Hang on a minute.
What killed them all on the AF aircraft was a deep stall. They didn't know how to recover from it. I doubt very much the test crews would have been able to put the aircraft into such situation, (10,000 - 20,000 ft/min + ROD) during the flight test program. As far as I am concerned no one has and survived.
How can you program a sim with deep stall data, when the information is not available?
I am aware of the circumstances that led to the departure. However, if one is at an altitude with a good stall protection margin, power setting and attitude may have saved the day. They weren't because economics (min fuel) would have seen to that. Too high too soon?
If have a squall line to deal with I will take the option of descending 2,000' rather than try and climb out of it. Being "in the clear" is no guarantee of a smooth ride of course.
Last edited by doubleu-anker; 30th Dec 2012 at 19:47.