CFI Info – Fresh Air and Stalls

Forty years ago, when I was a fearful student pilot, my instructor, Jim, had a great teaching technique. It added fresh air to the stuffy cockpit and a new approach to demonstrating and recovering from power-off stalls.

Many pilots tolerate stalls with anxiety, perspiration, eyes closed and a face set for impending death.  Often the pilot does not breathe until the stall is complete; possibly thinking that might somehow prohibit losing control.  Stalls are too often misunderstood and associated with unmanageable danger in the minds of most students.

And rightly so….. because stalls are associated with a number one cause of fatal accidents – loss of control.  Understanding, recognizing and developing skill in recovering from a stall is essential in aviation education and beyond.  We are often afraid of what we do not understand.  Stalls should be understood, not feared.
We used a high wing Cessna trainer and I observed the stall demonstration as he performed it. My job was to open the window and put my left hand out the window near the wing root. Since window-open speed was Vne, doing this was not a concern.

The sound of the wind was loud. But just as the text book explained, the air at the wing root went silent as the airplane slowed and the stall approached.  Within a few seconds the low pressure reached the stall warning horn and it began to “sing.” This indicated the wind had stopped half-way out the wing providing the “stall warning” of the approaching full stall.  Soon the entire wing stalled and for an instant the wind was quiet.  At that point the nose dropped, recovery was initiated and the airplane began to fly.  The dead space near the wing root was again filled with the wind as it returned from the tip of the wing, inboard past the stall warning and down to the wing root and my hand. The sound and rush of air as it returned to my hand was a tactile experience not soon forgotten. 

The fear of stalls became secondary, replaced with understanding, thanks to Jim and an interesting and fun approach to instructing stalls and reducing risk.  As an instructor, I have used this technique for years with great results. (In colder climates, turning on the heater might be part of the pre-maneuver checklist.)

Give it a try and see what you think.

Want to learn more?

Chapter 4    Airplane Flying Handbook
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/
 
Chapter 4    Pilots’ Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/

Mary Schu
2015 National CFI of the Year
Mailto:maryschuaviation@gmail.com
 
For more information on the GA Awards program go to http://www.generalaviationawards.org/