Spin Training.
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I was glad to discover that my logbook contains a rubber stamp saying that I have been trained in spin recovery....however, when you realise that I have only ever flown a Warrior, it certainly makes you wonder how!!
Englishal stated:
"I believe that part of the certification process to allow an aircraft to be certified for intentional spinning, is that it will recover itself within a reasonable time, with no pilot input, assuming C&G and W&B limits are correct."
Nope - the requirement is to recover within one and a half turns. The "standard" method of spin recovery is often used but some aeroplanes may require specific control actions to recover with that time. For more info on spinning Cessnas take a peek at:
Taking Your Cessna For a Spin
"I believe that part of the certification process to allow an aircraft to be certified for intentional spinning, is that it will recover itself within a reasonable time, with no pilot input, assuming C&G and W&B limits are correct."
Nope - the requirement is to recover within one and a half turns. The "standard" method of spin recovery is often used but some aeroplanes may require specific control actions to recover with that time. For more info on spinning Cessnas take a peek at:
Taking Your Cessna For a Spin
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Spinning through cloud as a planned means of recovering to VMC sounds too stupid a plan to contemplate! If you have done a couple of one or two turn spins you may think it is easy peasy, but if the cloud is a couple of thousand feet thick and you have to spin say four or five turns, it could, on exiting cloud be going like a banshie; what height is required to recover from a five turn spin you should ask yourself. Bad plan
Better plan would be to spend a few quid with an instructor learning what the dials do.
Even beter plan, do an IMC/IR rating.
Back to spins. Neil Williams excellent classic "Aerobatics" talks about introducing people to spinning and comments that most instructors teaching spinning are not really that good at the entry. To paraphrase, he said that just at the point of stall they pull the stick hard back (for an erect spin) and stamp on the rudder, which gives a violent half flick entry to the spin, thus consigning another pilot to the ranks of the straight and level brigade.
Get a proper aerobatic instructor to show you how to do fully controlled, gentle spin entries is my advice, and then enjoy.
Better plan would be to spend a few quid with an instructor learning what the dials do.
Even beter plan, do an IMC/IR rating.
Back to spins. Neil Williams excellent classic "Aerobatics" talks about introducing people to spinning and comments that most instructors teaching spinning are not really that good at the entry. To paraphrase, he said that just at the point of stall they pull the stick hard back (for an erect spin) and stamp on the rudder, which gives a violent half flick entry to the spin, thus consigning another pilot to the ranks of the straight and level brigade.
Get a proper aerobatic instructor to show you how to do fully controlled, gentle spin entries is my advice, and then enjoy.
A note on spin certification.
All smaller fixed wing aeroplanes are spun during certification. Broadly speaking there are two levels of rigour to which this is done. One is a non-aerobatic certification programme, such as for example would have been done on the PA28; this is there to answer three questions, which are...
- Will it spin
- How does it spin
- Does it recover, and how
Any non-aerobatic aircraft with an excessive tendency to spin, or a severe reluctance to recover won't get certified. Some have suffered such problems but had them solved and a mod made to the aircraft before approval.
For an aerobatic or deliberate spinning clearance, a LOT more spinning is needed, included multiple turns, mishandled entries, mishandled recoveries, failure to close the throttle, etc, etc.
Manufacturers may go for a non-spinning clearance for one of two reasons. One is that they simply don't want to bear the cost of a full spinning test programme. The other is that the aircraft can pass the standard non-aerobatic criteria but has other characteristics (such as a tendency to wind-up, or perhaps enter a flat spin after a certain number of turns) which would make routine deliberate spinning severely inadvisable.
Only problem is, unless you were on the certification team, you don't know which is the reason!
G
All smaller fixed wing aeroplanes are spun during certification. Broadly speaking there are two levels of rigour to which this is done. One is a non-aerobatic certification programme, such as for example would have been done on the PA28; this is there to answer three questions, which are...
- Will it spin
- How does it spin
- Does it recover, and how
Any non-aerobatic aircraft with an excessive tendency to spin, or a severe reluctance to recover won't get certified. Some have suffered such problems but had them solved and a mod made to the aircraft before approval.
For an aerobatic or deliberate spinning clearance, a LOT more spinning is needed, included multiple turns, mishandled entries, mishandled recoveries, failure to close the throttle, etc, etc.
Manufacturers may go for a non-spinning clearance for one of two reasons. One is that they simply don't want to bear the cost of a full spinning test programme. The other is that the aircraft can pass the standard non-aerobatic criteria but has other characteristics (such as a tendency to wind-up, or perhaps enter a flat spin after a certain number of turns) which would make routine deliberate spinning severely inadvisable.
Only problem is, unless you were on the certification team, you don't know which is the reason!
G
Just noticed that Groundbound asked about inverted spins.
An erect spin, which we're all used to, occurs when the directions of yaw and roll are the same. An inverted spin occurs when the yaw and roll are in opposite directions, and you generally enter it by applying full rudder and full forward stick when flying inverted at just below the -Ve g stall.
Inverted spins are thoroughly unpleasant and disorienting, but very few aircraft show any particular desire to enter one, and they will usually recover on control centralisation. However, as much as anything due to loads on the airframe and pilot (I recall an inverted spin in a Tincano where both I in the back and my pilot in the front went briefly into G-LOC when it recovered from -2½g into a 4g pull-out, not an experience I've any great desire to repeat) I wouldn't contemplate inverted spinning something that isn't cleared to do so.
G
An erect spin, which we're all used to, occurs when the directions of yaw and roll are the same. An inverted spin occurs when the yaw and roll are in opposite directions, and you generally enter it by applying full rudder and full forward stick when flying inverted at just below the -Ve g stall.
Inverted spins are thoroughly unpleasant and disorienting, but very few aircraft show any particular desire to enter one, and they will usually recover on control centralisation. However, as much as anything due to loads on the airframe and pilot (I recall an inverted spin in a Tincano where both I in the back and my pilot in the front went briefly into G-LOC when it recovered from -2½g into a 4g pull-out, not an experience I've any great desire to repeat) I wouldn't contemplate inverted spinning something that isn't cleared to do so.
G
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Ludwig - your post is interesting in that yes, that is exactly how every instructor I've flown with has initiated a spin (control yoke hard into chest and full rudder). I always presumed this was just to ensure clean entry into a "proper" spin, which is pretty important on Cessnas where you could just end up wallowing around in a half arsed spiral.
I remember once during spin demonstration on a 172 my instructor even found it necessary to blast the rudder with full throttle to get the thing to spin at all.
Have since spun C150s and C172s but the Tomahawk is certainly the best spin trainer I've flown in. Easy, positive initiation and recovery.
As regards the spin itself, I must say I didn't enjoy it that much as a passenger first time out, but when you have the controls yourself it really is great fun, and a much gentler manoeuvre than a spiral dive.
I remember once during spin demonstration on a 172 my instructor even found it necessary to blast the rudder with full throttle to get the thing to spin at all.
Have since spun C150s and C172s but the Tomahawk is certainly the best spin trainer I've flown in. Easy, positive initiation and recovery.
As regards the spin itself, I must say I didn't enjoy it that much as a passenger first time out, but when you have the controls yourself it really is great fun, and a much gentler manoeuvre than a spiral dive.
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Sennadog
I'm not sure if I'm reading your original post correctly, but, did you not even do incipient spin recovery during your PPL? This is a standard part of our training down under. I dislike doing it, but can understand the need for it.
I would recommend this training to anyone, having experienced a rather nasty spin after being kicked over turning crosswind when I first started flying. We recovered at below the headgear of a mine we were flying over at the time. If the reactions had not been "automatic" I'm pretty sure we would have plowed into the ground. It took me a long time to get over this, and that's why I dislike it, even at a 4000ft with a large bit of air underneath me.
So, my advice, learn how to recover from a spin, even though you may not enjoy the sensations that go with it. It could make a difference some day
I'm not sure if I'm reading your original post correctly, but, did you not even do incipient spin recovery during your PPL? This is a standard part of our training down under. I dislike doing it, but can understand the need for it.
I would recommend this training to anyone, having experienced a rather nasty spin after being kicked over turning crosswind when I first started flying. We recovered at below the headgear of a mine we were flying over at the time. If the reactions had not been "automatic" I'm pretty sure we would have plowed into the ground. It took me a long time to get over this, and that's why I dislike it, even at a 4000ft with a large bit of air underneath me.
So, my advice, learn how to recover from a spin, even though you may not enjoy the sensations that go with it. It could make a difference some day
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It saddens me to see people making statements like "idiotic" and "stupid" when it comes to spinning through the overcast.
As I've already posted, this is an emergency manouvre only. Yes you can also try a stabilized descent with full flaps etc. but this may not work out so well if you are flying a glider or J-3 etc. without a turn coordinator let alone a attitude gyro (obviously it could be argued that no one should flying such a minimally-instrumented aircraft in conditions likely to lead to being 'caught on top' but these things do happen, as the accident records show).
Ludwig suggests that pilots "spend a few quid with an instructor learning what the dials do". Obviously this is good advice and I believe in most ICAO countries it is now mandatory that PPL applicants receive at least five hours of instrument time before licensing.
As I've already posted, this is an emergency manouvre only. Yes you can also try a stabilized descent with full flaps etc. but this may not work out so well if you are flying a glider or J-3 etc. without a turn coordinator let alone a attitude gyro (obviously it could be argued that no one should flying such a minimally-instrumented aircraft in conditions likely to lead to being 'caught on top' but these things do happen, as the accident records show).
Ludwig suggests that pilots "spend a few quid with an instructor learning what the dials do". Obviously this is good advice and I believe in most ICAO countries it is now mandatory that PPL applicants receive at least five hours of instrument time before licensing.
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MLS-12D is quite correct. In the Golden Days of flight, this was a common and safe way of non gyro IMC let downs, and so long as you have enough room between the cloud and the ground, what is the problem? You'd have more problems trying to keep control with no gyros and flying down through IMC, so why not put the aircraft into a spin, in a known direction before you enter the clag?
Cherio
EA
Cherio
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Grandpa Aerotart
What used to be my fav topic.
Spinning,
I learned to fly in 1981 at Bankstown (Aust). If memory serves this was about the time that full spins were going from mandatory to optional and only incipient spins were required.
Fortunately for me I was at a school where it was still considered a bloody good idea to go the whole hog and we had an excellent aerobatics instructor who would take you for that lesson.
On lesson No 3 I was shown full spins, completed several myself and also was shown loops, rolls and stall turns...also completing several of each myself.
Post first solo I would always make sure I was in a C152A and spend 1/2 the period doing whatever I was supposed to do and the rest doing spins,loops,rolls and stall turns...I became a spinning/aeros nut
As soon as I finished my RPPL I did a Tailwheel endorsement with the same instructor in a Super Decathlon (180HP/CSU) that was on line and blew thousands flying aeros/spins instead of doing Navexs toward the full PPL.
I used to love doing inverted spins, using power to flatten them out and speed them up...even a 'normal' inverted spin is orders of magnitude more violent/uncomfortable and dissorientating than a positive spin.
Not a cent of that money was wasted!
Later when I got my CPL/Instructors rating I also did a 'spin approval'.
During that training I spun Tomahawks and they have a fascinating spin...starts off 'normal'...flattens out about turn 3 or 4 and when you recover it spins steeply nose down and faster before recovering normally...loved it!
When I started instructing I encourage my students to learn proper spins and even taught them basic aeros if we had an aerobat handy and they were in to it.
One day one of my students, who I had taught spins to previously, asked if we could do a practice spin on the way home from a 'precautionary search and landing' lesson.
To cut a long story short we spun from 4000' agl to somewhere under 300'agl...he did nothing wrong but the aircraft(C150) wouldn't recover so I took over about 3500' agl.
It took every second of every spin I'd ever been in to get us out..I let go of everything and waited several turns...nothing...I tried rocking us out with power/elevator...nothing...power/in spin aileron and full down elevator...nothing...by now I'd lost count of the turns but having done 6 and 8 turn spins before I reckon we went close to 15 or 20 turns, but that's a guess.
Finally full power and slamming the control column full forward with the full opposite rudder that had been held on most of the way down put us through the verticle into a steepish inverted dive from which I rolled out and gently pulled back to a climb...I have no idea how high we were when we started climbing away but having trimmed into a climb, handed over to the stude and lit a smoke with shaking hands, he asked me what was up...I pointed to the altimeter and we were passing through about 900' over terrain that probably averaged 200'amsl.
The stude had been blissfully ignorant the whole way down
Many people with vast experience of spinning, one of whom did the spinning trials for Australian certification of C150s offered advice on what may have happened...ranging from a 'rogue' spin to C of G problems. The aircraft had been built up from two that had been damaged in a cyclone in Queensland so perhaps it wasn't 'true'...I never got a definative answer and I believe a page was inserted in the flight manual banning that aircraft from further spinning.
I kept spinning aircraft after that but never with the gay abandon that I had before.
I still believe spinning should be mandatory training for PPL.
I still believe aerobatics should be mandatory for any licence.
Some will point to this as reason not to conduct spin training...I prefer to think that my training and extensive spin practice saved our lives.
I know that all that spinning and aeros saved my life on at least one more occasion while bush flying in the PNG Highlands in a C185 a year later...but that's a completely seperate 'I learned about Flying from that' story.
As a 'funny' postscript my stude rang me a week or so later and thanked me for saving his life....I pointed out that I was too busy saving mine to care much about his...but it was my pleasure anyway
By all means go and spin to your hearts content...but the 'gay abandonish' tone I get from some of these posts reminds me of me about 16 years ago.
Chuck.
I learned to fly in 1981 at Bankstown (Aust). If memory serves this was about the time that full spins were going from mandatory to optional and only incipient spins were required.
Fortunately for me I was at a school where it was still considered a bloody good idea to go the whole hog and we had an excellent aerobatics instructor who would take you for that lesson.
On lesson No 3 I was shown full spins, completed several myself and also was shown loops, rolls and stall turns...also completing several of each myself.
Post first solo I would always make sure I was in a C152A and spend 1/2 the period doing whatever I was supposed to do and the rest doing spins,loops,rolls and stall turns...I became a spinning/aeros nut
As soon as I finished my RPPL I did a Tailwheel endorsement with the same instructor in a Super Decathlon (180HP/CSU) that was on line and blew thousands flying aeros/spins instead of doing Navexs toward the full PPL.
I used to love doing inverted spins, using power to flatten them out and speed them up...even a 'normal' inverted spin is orders of magnitude more violent/uncomfortable and dissorientating than a positive spin.
Not a cent of that money was wasted!
Later when I got my CPL/Instructors rating I also did a 'spin approval'.
During that training I spun Tomahawks and they have a fascinating spin...starts off 'normal'...flattens out about turn 3 or 4 and when you recover it spins steeply nose down and faster before recovering normally...loved it!
When I started instructing I encourage my students to learn proper spins and even taught them basic aeros if we had an aerobat handy and they were in to it.
One day one of my students, who I had taught spins to previously, asked if we could do a practice spin on the way home from a 'precautionary search and landing' lesson.
To cut a long story short we spun from 4000' agl to somewhere under 300'agl...he did nothing wrong but the aircraft(C150) wouldn't recover so I took over about 3500' agl.
It took every second of every spin I'd ever been in to get us out..I let go of everything and waited several turns...nothing...I tried rocking us out with power/elevator...nothing...power/in spin aileron and full down elevator...nothing...by now I'd lost count of the turns but having done 6 and 8 turn spins before I reckon we went close to 15 or 20 turns, but that's a guess.
Finally full power and slamming the control column full forward with the full opposite rudder that had been held on most of the way down put us through the verticle into a steepish inverted dive from which I rolled out and gently pulled back to a climb...I have no idea how high we were when we started climbing away but having trimmed into a climb, handed over to the stude and lit a smoke with shaking hands, he asked me what was up...I pointed to the altimeter and we were passing through about 900' over terrain that probably averaged 200'amsl.
The stude had been blissfully ignorant the whole way down
Many people with vast experience of spinning, one of whom did the spinning trials for Australian certification of C150s offered advice on what may have happened...ranging from a 'rogue' spin to C of G problems. The aircraft had been built up from two that had been damaged in a cyclone in Queensland so perhaps it wasn't 'true'...I never got a definative answer and I believe a page was inserted in the flight manual banning that aircraft from further spinning.
I kept spinning aircraft after that but never with the gay abandon that I had before.
I still believe spinning should be mandatory training for PPL.
I still believe aerobatics should be mandatory for any licence.
Some will point to this as reason not to conduct spin training...I prefer to think that my training and extensive spin practice saved our lives.
I know that all that spinning and aeros saved my life on at least one more occasion while bush flying in the PNG Highlands in a C185 a year later...but that's a completely seperate 'I learned about Flying from that' story.
As a 'funny' postscript my stude rang me a week or so later and thanked me for saving his life....I pointed out that I was too busy saving mine to care much about his...but it was my pleasure anyway
By all means go and spin to your hearts content...but the 'gay abandonish' tone I get from some of these posts reminds me of me about 16 years ago.
Chuck.
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Flyboy
Incipient spinning is covered in the UK JAR PPL, but for some reason it is not regarded as "proper spinning" by most PPLs over here, the definition of which seems to be a fully developed spin.
I am a great believer in knowing how to (and staying current at) recovering at the incipient stage before things get really tricky ... especially at low altitude.
Incipient spinning is covered in the UK JAR PPL, but for some reason it is not regarded as "proper spinning" by most PPLs over here, the definition of which seems to be a fully developed spin.
I am a great believer in knowing how to (and staying current at) recovering at the incipient stage before things get really tricky ... especially at low altitude.
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spins
Donno the prices in England but did some aerobatic training in a Pitts in USA at 260$ an hour including inverted spins and inverted flt,regular spins etc.,also done spins in cesna 150\150hp aerobat and regular c-172 as regular training.It is a scary thought to be flipped over by wake or turbulance or accidently spin without knowing if you can deal with it.Spin training stopped because of the lack of qualified instructors and planes that caused too many accidents.If you could get some aerobatic and spin training-do it!
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Half my training was done in Canada, where full spin training is still mandatory part of the syllabus. I quite enjoyed this in a C172, although some days it took quite an effort to get it to spin, rather than spiral dive - I remember a whole hour of spins on a hot sunny day; I'm not usually one prone to going green, but I did gently mention to my instructor that I was beyond learning anything more and could we go home, please?! By the end of around 3.5 hrs of spin / stall training, he was getting me to recover after a set number of turns and on a given heading - that was quite fun!!
That training has saved me from one possible incident in a C150 that dropped a wing in a stall straight into a spin when I was on a pre-PPL solo jolly trying to get my 10hrs solo up.
I am an advocate of full spin training (with exemption only if you get a signed chit from your mummy that you're prone to dashboard decorating ).
By the end of around 3.5 hrs of spin / stall training, he was getting me to recover after a set number of turns and on a given heading - that was quite fun!!That training has saved me from one possible incident in a C150 that dropped a wing in a stall straight into a spin when I was on a pre-PPL solo jolly trying to get my 10hrs solo up.
I am an advocate of full spin training (with exemption only if you get a signed chit from your mummy that you're prone to dashboard decorating
).
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Too much of a good thing!
I remember my own spin training here in Canada. I had the same experience as you: eight spins in a row left me feeling nauseous. Best to limit this (important) training to, say, four or five spins at a time, otherwise the educational value begins to diminish!
BTW, Transport Canada deleted spins from the PPL flight test in 1999 (not without considerable opposition in some quarters). They do remain part of the training syllabus, as you say. Do UK pilots receive no training in fully developed spins? Hard to believe!
BTW, Transport Canada deleted spins from the PPL flight test in 1999 (not without considerable opposition in some quarters). They do remain part of the training syllabus, as you say. Do UK pilots receive no training in fully developed spins?
Hard to believe!
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Canadian Luscombe
As previously mentioned, it has not been mandatory to do fully developed spins for around 10 years in the UK; the option remains, but it is only mandatory to demonstrate recovery from incipient spins. In my GFT, I just about got to the stage where one wing was lower than the other after a close-on stall when the examiner told me to recover! We were in a PA28-140 (which I have never had the guts to try and spin on my own, due to alleged potential difficulties with recovery) which may explain it - I'd always been told NOT to try to spin any PA28 variant.
I was always nervous about spins, but now am able to have the confidence that I could handle one if I inadvertently entered one - it may take a time for me to recognise the difference between a spin and a spiral these days due to lack of practice (yes, I know - look for the attitude, ASI, etc, but it's difficult to do if your eyes are shut !!)
As previously mentioned, it has not been mandatory to do fully developed spins for around 10 years in the UK; the option remains, but it is only mandatory to demonstrate recovery from incipient spins. In my GFT, I just about got to the stage where one wing was lower than the other after a close-on stall when the examiner told me to recover! We were in a PA28-140 (which I have never had the guts to try and spin on my own, due to alleged potential difficulties with recovery) which may explain it - I'd always been told NOT to try to spin any PA28 variant.
I was always nervous about spins, but now am able to have the confidence that I could handle one if I inadvertently entered one - it may take a time for me to recognise the difference between a spin and a spiral these days due to lack of practice (yes, I know - look for the attitude, ASI, etc, but it's difficult to do if your eyes are shut !!)
Mess Your Passage
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Quick Tip
A few years ago an Austrailan Instructor and student were killed when the Rudder jammed in the fully left position in a C150. thus spinning in .
Another instrutor simulated this afterwards and simply opened the opposite door.
May save someone else one day ......
Spin safe it's a must.
A few years ago an Austrailan Instructor and student were killed when the Rudder jammed in the fully left position in a C150. thus spinning in .
Another instrutor simulated this afterwards and simply opened the opposite door.
May save someone else one day ......
Spin safe it's a must.
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Stall/Spin evaluation study (Transport Canada)
Here's a reference that may be of interest: http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/ge.../spin/spin.htm
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Yes indeedy, spinning was on the syllabus all those years ago...well, 1984 anyway.
As you can see from my sign-off, I think both spin training and spin refresher training (in certified aircraft) is a vital part of learning and currency. A "real" spin, ie not purposely entered, will normally be encountered near the ground....ya gotta be quick to get out of it and that can only come with practice.
As you can see from my sign-off, I think both spin training and spin refresher training (in certified aircraft) is a vital part of learning and currency. A "real" spin, ie not purposely entered, will normally be encountered near the ground....ya gotta be quick to get out of it and that can only come with practice.
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Gulp....
Well, I went for my first lesson yesterday in a C-152. It was, shall we say, very interesting!
The A check took a lot longer than normal, as it was different to the Katana that I normally fly and my first impressions are that it was a bit beaten up but it looked like a pretty strong aircraft. It was much easier to taxi than a Katana and during the take off felt more "damped" but it climbs out nicely and I did notice that you have to bob the nose down more frequently to get an idea of what is below you. The view of the ground is much better with the hight wing but I prefer to have a better view of the air around me, I have to say.
Did some stalls and I was, as usual a bit nervous, wanting to restore power and attitude as soon as possible. I did a few of these and got the hang of it, which gave me a lot more confidence.
Wow, did I learn something though. You can hold the yoke back for as long as you want and provided you control the yaw with the rudders, it ain't going to do anything nasty. I was pleased that I instinctively counteracted any yaw with opposite rudder - again a morale booster. I've not noticed this before with the Katana, probably because it's so benign.
So, to the spins.
The instructor demonstrated the first one and I nearly freaked out! I thought my days were over but luckily this guy is so laid back he's virtually comatose so he inspires confidence.
The second one he demonstrated and I started to see what was happening and my brain was "slowing" things down so I could get an idea of what to do.
Did I do one? Nah, I wussed out. Having said that I want to do things at my own pace and I reckon on the next lesson, I'll get him to demonstrate one more and then I'll have a go. I've also asked him to include wing drops so that I can get proficient at them as well.
Got back to Redhill and I was amazed how easy it was to do a power on approach through base leg and onto final - from memory, I used 1500rpm and left it there until the threshold (actually, I forgot to chop the power as I was so amazed ) - much easier than a Katana as I find that I'm constantly adjusting the power at this stage. The instructor made a few compliments about my flying (probably to get me back
) which was nice but my eyeballs still hurt as a result of the spins. They feel a bit like the time I did a Bungee jump - I guess staring out in wide eyed terror with a bit of G doesn't always work - best close my eyes next time!
To sum up, I totally recommend to anyone who hasn't done any - Spin Training is definitely a good idea.
I'll keep you posted. I have a feeling that my first spin recovery may be as memorable as my Solo X Country.
The A check took a lot longer than normal, as it was different to the Katana that I normally fly and my first impressions are that it was a bit beaten up but it looked like a pretty strong aircraft. It was much easier to taxi than a Katana and during the take off felt more "damped" but it climbs out nicely and I did notice that you have to bob the nose down more frequently to get an idea of what is below you. The view of the ground is much better with the hight wing but I prefer to have a better view of the air around me, I have to say.
Did some stalls and I was, as usual a bit nervous, wanting to restore power and attitude as soon as possible. I did a few of these and got the hang of it, which gave me a lot more confidence.
Wow, did I learn something though. You can hold the yoke back for as long as you want and provided you control the yaw with the rudders, it ain't going to do anything nasty. I was pleased that I instinctively counteracted any yaw with opposite rudder - again a morale booster. I've not noticed this before with the Katana, probably because it's so benign.
So, to the spins.
The instructor demonstrated the first one and I nearly freaked out!
I thought my days were over but luckily this guy is so laid back he's virtually comatose so he inspires confidence.The second one he demonstrated and I started to see what was happening and my brain was "slowing" things down so I could get an idea of what to do.
Did I do one? Nah, I wussed out. Having said that I want to do things at my own pace and I reckon on the next lesson, I'll get him to demonstrate one more and then I'll have a go. I've also asked him to include wing drops so that I can get proficient at them as well.
Got back to Redhill and I was amazed how easy it was to do a power on approach through base leg and onto final - from memory, I used 1500rpm and left it there until the threshold (actually, I forgot to chop the power as I was so amazed
) - much easier than a Katana as I find that I'm constantly adjusting the power at this stage. The instructor made a few compliments about my flying (probably to get me back ) which was nice but my eyeballs still hurt as a result of the spins. They feel a bit like the time I did a Bungee jump - I guess staring out in wide eyed terror with a bit of G doesn't always work - best close my eyes next time!To sum up, I totally recommend to anyone who hasn't done any - Spin Training is definitely a good idea.
I'll keep you posted. I have a feeling that my first spin recovery may be as memorable as my Solo X Country.
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Norfolk
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Wuss?
I don't think so. At least you've experienced them.
Despite being very current it took me several deep breaths before I did my first solo spinning!
Those deep breaths are still required when I intentionally spin mine inverted about once every 4 to 5 weeks!
Stik
I don't think so. At least you've experienced them.
Despite being very current it took me several deep breaths before I did my first solo spinning!
Those deep breaths are still required when I intentionally spin mine inverted about once every 4 to 5 weeks!
Stik