Originally Posted by
mad_jock
Blanking the ASI helps as it gets the student focused on attitude instead of airspeed
Near the end of the PPL I get the student to fly a takeoff, circuit and landing with the ASI covered. It is never a big deal as I have emphasized setting the attitude by observing the natural horizon through the windshield, and the Attitude + Power = Performance relationships; from the very first lesson. I highly recommend that students ask there instructor to allow them to do the same exercise on one of the late PPL dual exercises.
Re stall/spin: IMO the most important "click" is recognizing the fact the airplane is about to enter slow flight by tactile and visual clues and automatically and without thinking, correct the situation.
To get into an inadvertent spin you have to be stupid times 3
Stupid times 1 = Allowing the aircraft to get into inadvertent slow flight
and not recovering into the normal flight regime
Stupid times 2 = Allowing the airspeed to continue to decay enough to
allow the aircraft to stall
Stupid times 3 = After the aircraft has stalled
allowing the aircraft to yaw
The bottom line is simple, pay attention to what the airplane is doing and if it is not doing what you want then fix it. Fly the airplane don't let it fly you
Disclaimer
My comments are intended for pilots flying one of the common Cessna/Piper trainers like the OP and I suspect the vast majority of the people reading this thread. If you are flying a high performance and/or unusual handling aircraft then additional precautions are required.