Spin awareness
What a spin is and what it takes to get into one, the four phases, the recovery in six steps, and the situations near the ground where an accidental spin begins.
14 min read · Flight maneuvers
After this lesson you can
- Explain the two ingredients of a spin, and the aerodynamic factors that change how a given airplane spins.
- Identify the entry, incipient and developed phases of a spin, and say which instrument shows the direction of rotation.
- Recite the six-step spin recovery in the absence of a manufacturer's procedure, and explain the reason for each step.
- Name the situations that lead to an inadvertent spin, and the environmental factors that make one worse.
- Apply the clearing, altitude and weight-and-balance requirements that precede any intentional spin.
A spin is an aggravated stall condition that may result after a stall occurs. Mishandling of yaw control during a stall increases the likelihood of a spin entry. The airplane follows a downward corkscrew path, rotating around its vertical axis under different lift and drag forces on each wing, descending under gravity while rolling, yawing and pitching in a spiral. In all spins at least one wing is stalled.
The private pilot is not required to spin an airplane. The private pilot is required to know exactly what one is, how it starts, and how it is stopped, because the accidental spin begins in the traffic pattern with no altitude to spare, and the recognition is all there is.
The rest of this lesson
- 1.Stall plus yaw: the two ingredients
- 2.The four phases, and how to tell which way it is going
- 3.Recovery: six steps, and why the order is not negotiable
- 4.Before any intentional spin: approval, weight, altitude, and a clear sky
- 5.Where the attention is, and where the risk is
These 5 sections, their figures, the checks along the way and the end-of-lesson quiz come with the PPL track. Paid once, yours for good.
Key terms
Try to recall each definition before turning the card.