I wonder if many instructor courses these days have any focus on techniques to regain control from a frozen student.
There will be bar talk only but nothing in any manuals that gives expert advice. For example, in another era during my final handling test before being awarded a QFI grading at the RAAF Central Flying School, the CFS instructor who was a former wartime Spitfire pilot, asked me to patter to him an eight turn spin and recovery in a Wirraway. Following my demonstration he took control and became the student while he did the eight turn spin.
Everything went well when I noticed he had not started recovery action at the completion of the eight turns. By now we had lost several thousands of feet as expected after starting off at 8000 ft. I ordered him to take immediate recovery action. No answer from the front seat so I attempted to take control only to find the controls jammed in the pro-spin positions.
I again told the student to let go of the controls. "Can't Sir, - I have frozen on the controls and I am **** scared" the CFS instructor said over the intercom.
"Relax Bloggs" I muttered into the oxy mask "I have control so take your hands and feet of the controls."
"Can't, Sir" came the muffled reply - muffled because the bastard was laughing his head off in the front seat. By now we were down to 3000 feet and things were getting serious.
I was only a sergeant pilot and the CFS instructor was a decorated Flight Lieutenant and moreover he was in command. But bugger the rank because I was now thoroughly scared of what was happening.
I took a deep breath and roared into the intercom, "Let go of the Fuc*#ing controls, you stupid bloody idiot!"
Immediately the instructor let go of the controls and I recovered the Wirraway with not much to spare.
"Well done, Sergeant" said the CFS instructor from the front seat. "Never be afraid to use foul language at a student who has frozen on the controls - it may shock him into releasing his death grip on the controls."
As I said, there is nothing written in the instructor manuals about this but it’s worthwhile keeping in mind as a last resort. My experience, however, was nothing compared to another RAAF instructor at Point Cook tasked with ab-initio training of foreign pilots on a light trainer called the CT4 which has side by side seating. The student was a huge man straight from the jungles of Papua New Guinea which is to the north of Australia. The instructor was irritated with the seeming incompetence of his student and said something that not only insulted the student but caused him to snap.
Suddenly the student grabbed the controls and rolling the aircraft inverted had it pointing earthwards, at the same time growling “We both die, Sir.” The instructor didn’t have the strength to overpower the students strong grip and the end was near until the instructor changed tack and apologised profusely to the student for upsetting him with his criticism. At that, the student let go the controls allowing the instructor to recover close to the ground.
“Don’t swear at me again, Sir” said the student “or you know what will happen”
