Articles on Upset Recovery Training Principles

How exactly do you put your finger on the single most important aerodynamic component or practice related to upset recovery training? That’s a tough question and, quite honestly, the answer varies depending upon the situation being addressed. As opposed to picking “one” aerodynamic component as “the” critical factor in upset recoveries, a thorough discussion of recovery techniques must focus on the order in which control loss issues are addressed for a generalized recovery to be effective in a wide variety of instances.

The Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) plays a critical role in ensuring every pilot being instructed and evaluated by them is ultimately safe and safety conscious. As CFIs, our assessment of a pilot’s proficiency status comprehends a wide spectrum including: flight preparation, aeronautical knowledge, recency of experience, regulatory awareness and compliance, system management, stick and rudder skill, aeronautical decision-making and mental attitude. In General Aviation, the CFI commonly represents the measuring stick by which most pilots compare their piloting capability to the ideal. This is a tremendous responsibility that CFIs should not take lightly.

The intent of this article is to provide pilots of all skill and experience levels an opportunity to review the general concepts of the All-Attitude Upset RecoveryTM Technique. The recovery is designed as a single procedure checklist to address both stalls and unusual attitudes in a wide variety of fixed wing aircraft to include general aviation, business jet and airline transport airplanes. As a checklist, its successful application is significantly improved if the pilot has completed a comprehensive upset recovery training course. As with all in-flight procedures, the pilot implementing the recovery is expected to have aircraft-specific knowledge related to their aircraft’s performance and flight characteristics.

Whether we are professional pilots or weekend warriors heading off for $100 hamburgers on Saturday morning excursions, it is very easy to fall out of touch with fundamental aerodynamic concepts. We know they are there and most pilots are generally familiar with their names. However, when a layman or (even worse) our instructor, asks us to provide an explanation of various aerodynamic concepts we begin to realize they have often become fuzzy or hidden in a dark corner of our mind.

Well folks, the time has come to announce our brand-new Redbird simulator at APS Emergency Maneuver Training. This is more than just an upset recovery training device. If you live in a hot, turbulent or storm-prone climate, then you are likely tired of not being able to train due to circumstances beyond your control. APS Emergency Maneuver Training has come up with a leading-edge solution integrating a wide variety of features such as; visuals, instructor tablet interface, coded key access, and best of all, full motion! Be sure to a take a moment to view our video tour of this training device above.

Flight Instructors have great demands placed upon them, first and foremost of which is flight safety. The best way to ensure safety is to continuously advance our training and improve flight skills. Every pilot, especially instructors, should make an investment in specialized upset and emergency attitude recovery training, an investment the FAA does not require, but which pays dividends throughout a flying career. Military flight schools put students through the paces of upset and emergency recovery, but the requirement for these types of maneuvers was deleted long ago from general aviation licensing requirements. Pilots without upset recovery training often do not even know what they don’t know. Once pilots experience life well beyond ‘stall’ and learn to master recovery skills, they will wonder how they survived without it. Where can you find this training? The best answer is APS!

On December 22, 1996, an Airborne Express DC-8 N827AX with 6 crewmembers on board (3 flight crew and 3 maintenance/avionics technicians) crashed in mountainous terrain in the vicinity of Narrows, Virginia. The crash was the result of the crew’s failure to fully recover from a stall that they had intentionally initiated as part of a Functional Evaluation Flight (FEF), which was required after modifications had been performed on the aircraft. Although this accident involved a modern jet airliner, there are valuable lessons to be learned for pilots of any aircraft.

Emergency Maneuver Training develops the piloting skill of effectively controlling an aircraft during a crisis, an upset, an event out of the norm and, furthermore, out of the envelope a pilot’s training is limited to. Who needs emergency maneuver training? The answer is simple –every pilot! In fact, the FAA Airplane Upset Recovery Training Aid – Revision 1 states, “Most failures are survivable if correct responses are made by the flight crew.” So, with the proper training, there’s very likely nothing to be upset about.

Developing pilot skills to recover from an in-flight upset or loss of control flight condition is of little value if you can’t recall those skills when needed. The Say & Do Technique discussed briefly in this article deals directly with the technology of forcing a consciously competent response in a high-pressure upset scenario. Unfortunately, the counter-intuitive nature of the stall/spin and over-bank flight conditions can be intimidating and even incapacitating which makes this a challenging process the first few times you try. The more experience you have in this environment under the tutelage of expert flight instructors while applying effective recovery techniques and technologies, the less threatening these scenarios become. Immediately as we gain experience in this environment, our ability to understand and recognize developing risk factors related to angle of attack, bank, pitch and yaw excursions greatly improves our effectiveness in avoiding a threatening flight condition before it can develop into something deadly.

Back in January of 2002 I wrote an article titled, “Extra Maneuver Training.” In that article I lamented the minimal training on spins and upset recoveries received by student pilots and even instructors. Because of this, stall/spin accidents are responsible for about 25 percent of fatal general aviation accidents, and about 20 percent of those occur during dual instructional flight with an FAA-certified flight instructor on board. I also described the Emergency Maneuver Training (EMT) program available from Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), located at Williams Gateway Airport (IWA) in Mesa, Arizona.

Loss of Control in Flight usually follows an aircraft upset or unusual attitude caused by factors such as pilot distraction, wake turbulence, wind shear, icing, mechanical failure, etc. Unfortunately, when it happens, a pilot who has not been properly trained is usually ill prepared to cope effectively with such an event. An ALPA spokesman provided AW&ST with the following working definition of loss of control in flight: “if you can no longer get the wings level, or don’t get the wings level.” The airlines generally regard an aircraft upset condition as “more than 45 degrees of bank, 25 degrees nose up, or 10 degrees nose down”. These are reasonable parameters, given the maneuvering limitations of an airliner.

Because of our longstanding relationship with Master Aerobatic Instructor Rich Stowell, only APS is to bring to you the first published excerpt from Rich’s upcoming new book entitled, The Light Airplane Pilot’s Guide to STALL/SPIN AWARENESS. Please review this article and participate in our survey for a special APS newsletter member offer.

The pilot flew a GPS Rwy 35, circle-to-land runway 17 approach during night instrument meteorological conditions. A witness reported that the airplane’s downwind leg was two to three times closer to the runway than normal. The airplane’s turn radius to final approach was also much smaller than normal, and the turn was relatively “flat”. The airplane appeared to be traveling at a relatively slow airspeed during the approach, and engine rpm did not increase during the turn.

Have you ever been upside down in an airplane? There are those of us who intentionally fly aerobatic-type maneuvers for fun, profit, fulfillment of the competitive spirit, and even to defend our country. As an instructor teaching emergency maneuver, unusual attitude and aerobatic training to other pilots, I see the benefits of such training daily.

It is with all due respect to AOPA as an organization that I offer the following critique of the newly released stall/spin study. The intent is to reinforce the valid points, clarify the ambiguous ones, debunk the persistent stall/spin myths, and in the end, help to expand our understanding of the stall/spin accident picture so that pilots can take logical, informed steps to improve their stall/spin awareness.

One of the most frequently asked questions from pilots considering APS’s Emergency Maneuver Training Course is, “How can training in a high-performance aerobatic aircraft like the Extra 300L benefit me when I fly my aircraft?” The pilot’s concerns are valid. They are perhaps aware the Extra 300L (or similar aircraft) has a phenomenal roll rate and G capability, that it has a stick versus a yoke, and there are undoubtedly other noteworthy differences. How, then, can training in the Extra 300L possibly benefit the pilot of a Cessna or other general aviation aircraft? What about pilots of corporate or airline aircraft? Before we get to the advantages of an Emergency Maneuver Training Program in an aerobatic aircraft, I’ll mention the limitations.