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Why is there such a huge emphasis on “stalls” in flight training? Stalls are something that happens when the wing looses it’s lift temporarily, usually only on part of the wing.

A stall occurs when the angle of attack reaches a critical angle. That can happen at any attitude and any airspeed.

Stalls are most common while near the ground. That is, while taking off and landing. If a stall were to occur close to the ground, there is very little time to react and recover.

So… pilots are taught to recognize a stall is coming, recover from a stall if it somehow occurs, and avoid spins by correctly reacting to those stalls.

In this video we’ll be doing a POWER ON / Climb-Departure Stall. This is emulating a takeoff, a higher angle of attack than normal on climb-out, and subsequent stall. What makes this stall more difficult (in my opinion) is the left turning tendencies of the engine (and thus propellor) and need for a whole lot of opposite rudder (in this case, to the right, most common in GA aircraft). If we get uncoordinated during this stall, it’s much more likely that it’ll pull us into a spin.

Recovery from this stall is quite simple. You simple stay coordinated with rudder, reduce the angle of attack with elevator (usually to the horizon) and arrest the descent.

This emulates the ability to recover from a stall while landing.

The ACS (Airmen Certification Standards) lays out, as of 2017, that the stall should be brought all the way to the buffet and developed stall. THEN you will recover.

Jump in the conversation and let us know what you learned, or if you had another thoughts and tips for the community.

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AUTHOR

Chris Palmer

Chief Flight Instructor and President of Angle of Attack. Founded in 2006.

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